The eleventh edition of the Rouen Fantastic Film Festival, which takes place from 4 to 6 November, presents 12 short films of the genre. In a context of decreasing cinema attendance, the creator of the event wants to promote these fantastic works in the hope of seeing the greatest productions appear in the French landscape.
For the first time since its creation, the Rouen Fantastic Film Festival will have a jury of professionals in charge of awarding the Piranha Alien d’Or to the best of the twelve short films in competition this year. This 11th edition of the festival – which could not take place in 2019, 2020 and 2021 – will take place from 4 to 6 November 2022 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime.
“The festival’s dream is to bring a little spark to develop more films of the genre”, confides Alexandre Nicol, creator and organizer of the event. Rouennais regrets that there is “very few fantastic film productions in France” despite “a growing interest” of the French audience for this film genre. “Directors like Guillermo del Toro [La forme de l’eau, Le labyrinthe de Pan, ndlr] and Peter Jackson [la trilogie du Seigneur des anneaux, la trilogie du Hobbit, ndlr] find their audiencesupports the one who is also special effects make-up artist.
In September 2022, cinema participation reached its lowest level (outside the pandemic) since 1980 (start of monthly statistics) according to a report from the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) published on 3 October. Only 7.38 million entries were recorded.
This drop in attendance is linked to a combination of several factors, according to a CNC survey released in May. For 38% of the interviewees they lose the habit of going to the cinema, for 36% the ticket price is too expensive, 26% prefer to watch films on other media and the lack of interest in films on the offer plays a role for 23% of them.
According to Alexandre Nicol, in addition to lowering ticket prices and getting back into the habit of going to the cinema, we should “renew production” which sometimes become “redundant” like the Marvel movies. With his party, “which aims to promote and broadcast fantastic short films”hopes to appear on the screens of “more productions of takings” of this film genre.
Of the 12 short films screened on Friday and Saturday nights at the Omnia cinema, half are animated films. The organizer promises an edition “mixing magic, blood, the work of professionals, students but also some amateurs“. The jury, chaired by Bô Gaultier de Kermoal (La Tour Montparnasse infernale, Kaamelott) will award on Saturday evening the prize for the best short film, the Piranha Alien d’Or, made by Alexandre Nicol. Two public prizes will also be awarded.
Each evening will be closed by the transmission of a classic of fantastic cinema: “The Day of the Beast” (1995) by Álex de Inglesia on Friday and Saturday, “Screams”, a film by Joe Dante from 1981. Tickets, sold on site, are 6 , 70 euros in the evening and 12 euros for the two-night pass (respectively 4.5 euros and 8 euros at a reduced rate).
The other component of the festival, the Fantasy convention, will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Free entry. It will bring together exhibitors (3D printing, special effects, latex masks, jewelry, escape games, children’s makeup), novelists, cartoonists, and will offer signatures and lectures. On Saturday from 14:00 a zombie and fantastic walk will also be paraded through the streets of Rouen.
