EDITORIALS
DANIEL COHEN
Artistic director of the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
The number twelve often marks the end of a cycle, but we would like this 12th edition to be more a continuation of what we have created over all these years, namely an artistically rich, diverse and uniquely different festival that combines an ambitious programme with events to satisfy every taste and interest.
This year, once again we will see zombies roaming the streets, listen to film scores live, enjoy the conviviality of the Village and share shivers-down-the-spine at a secret screening. We will also be taking a trip down cinema’s memory lane with the Parasites retrospective to mark the 40th anniversary of Alien, accompanied by a unique exhibition of the works of visionary artist H.R. Giger. Movie junkies will also find something to satisfy their needs thanks to restored copies of works by maestro Mario Bava; a selection of erotic thrillers from a bygone Hollywood; and jubilatory Z movie-duds of The Eccentric Night.
Strasbourg will also echo with the sounds of Mariachis with the arrival of Robert Rodriguez, who’ll receive an exceptional achievement award and give a master class. This will be the grand occasion to watch Desperado or From Dusk till Dawn on the silver screen, as well as other films by this multi-talented director.
Get out your guitars, your machetes and your energy enhancers, the Festival is back!
This year’s Festival is dedicated to the memory of Stéphane Ducommun, aka Bubar.
CONSUELO HOLTZER
Artistic director of the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
After Bong Joon Ho’s Palme d’or win at Cannes this year, parasites seem to be enjoying a second coming on cinema screens, making 2019 – the 40th anniversary of Alien – their year. These transmuting creatures turn up not only in our main retrospective Parasites, but also in our tributes to Robert Rodrigues (The Faculty) and Mario Bava (The Planet of the Vampires). In the fantastic film competition, one sniff of Jessica’s Hauser’s insidious flowers in Little Joe and you’re happy, if less of a trouble maker than before. Parasites’ modus operandi is quite different in the raging war of organisms in Jeff Brown’s The Beach House, where they squat human bodies, dread guaranteed.
Two novelties this year. We’ve curated a Crossovers retrospective – Sex and Subterfuge – with four deliciously erotic thrillers, products of a Hollywood that once made daring adult films. Another first is our foray into the invasive world of the TV series. Our double-bill afternoon programme will kick off with Oliver Joyard’s documentary Binge Mania, about non-stop consumption of episodes on VOD platforms. It will be followed by a round table discussion of their content, the impact of bingeing, French viewing habits, how series relate to cinema and other topics. (Perhaps VODs should be added to a list of parasites).
Enjoy the Festival; it’s a much-needed respite from today’s world.
MATHIEU CAHN
Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of events
For this new edition, the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival team led by Daniel Cohen and Consuelo Holtzer has once again spent countless hours on ensuring that we shiver with delight.
Today, the Festival is an indispensable post-summer holiday event in Strasbourg. Screenings are held not only in dark auditoriums but also various public spaces in our city, including unexpected, even secret, locations where we can enjoy unique cinematographic experiences. With its ever-growing reputation, the Festival also hosts big-name film guests. This year, the Guest of Honour will be Robert Rodriguez, well-known for making successful feature films on shoestring budgets, and for his jack-of-all trades role in their production. It is tempting to draw a parallel here with the small but highly motivated Festival team. The City of Strasbourg has chosen to support this engaging group of individuals with a passion for the cinema for more than ten years. This support is thoroughly merited and justified, and should both be maintained and intensified to enable the Festival to gain a firm footing in the European cultural landscape and continue to make Strasbourg a not-to-be-missed stop on the major genre film-festival circuit.
I wish everyone an excellent Festival.
JEAN ROTTNER
President of the Grand Est Region
Each year, the tireless team around Daniel Cohen are good for a surprise: the poster, always fresh and original, a guest of honour – this year, Robert Rodriguez, a man above and beyond all expectations given the number and quality of the films he has made – and a first-class and exciting programme.
For the second year in a row, the Festival will also host a competition devoted to animation films, sponsored by the Grand Est Region and which aims to highlight the diversity and originality of this genre. Often imbued with the fantastic, animated cinema also deals with political or social issues or addresses armed conflicts in a very realistic way, making use of the evocative force of illustration. This new section will therefore be part of the series of competitions that have been organised and will appeal to an inquiring audience.
A must-attend European event, the European Fantastic Film Festival enables its visitors to discover and experience emotions, originality, quality and diversity with the more than 70 films screened. The repeated success it has enjoyed down the years is the fruit of sustained efforts by people deeply committed to their Region and keen to participate in its development. The Grand Est Region shares their desire to ensure innovation and their wish to see the Region extend its impact.
I wish all of you, both the organisers and the public, a highly enjoyable 2019 festival.