The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (SEFFF) (French: ''Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg ''(''FEFFS'')), is an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

held in Strasbourg,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, that focus on

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and horror films. The festival takes place annually in September since 2008, it derives from the Spectre Film Festival that was created in 2005 by the organization ''Les Films du Spectre''. Notable past guests of the festival include

Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror fi ...

, Lamberto Bava,

Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects ...

Marina De Van Marina de Van (; born 8 February 1971) is a French film director, screenwriter and actress. Her film, '' Don't Look Back'', was screened out of competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Her brother is , he appeared with her in the 1998 f ...

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (born 7 May 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and sometime actor. His career has spanned a wide-range of genres including peplum, comedy, drama, poliziottesco and science fiction, yet he is perhaps best known f ...

Lucky McKee Edward Lucky McKee (born November 1, 1975) is an American director, writer, and actor, largely known for the 2002 cult film '' May''. He is best known for his work in horror films. Life and career McKee was born in Jenny Lind, California. He h ...

Agnès Merlet Agnès Merlet (born 4 January 1959) is a French film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vi ...

Caroline Munro Caroline Munro (born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, ...

Philippe Nahon Philippe Nahon (; 24 December 1938 – 19 April 2020) was a French actor. Best known films Nahon was best known for his roles in French horror and thriller films, including '' I Stand Alone'', '' Humains'', '' Calvaire'', ''The Pack'' and ''Ha ...

Brian Yuzna Brian Yuzna is an American producer, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror film genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as ''Re-Animator'' (1 ...

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

Mick Garris Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations. Early life Garris was born in Sant ...

and George A. Romero. Moreover, since 2009 the festival starts with the Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk, it has become one of the largest in Europe with around 4000 participants in 2014.

History

Hammer Film Festival

In 2006, the organization ''Les Films du Spectre'' decided to organize the Hammer Film Festival which revolved around the work of the British film production company

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve class ...

. For this occasion the cinemas STAR in Strasbourg screened some of Hammer original 35mm prints such as

The Curse of Frankenstein ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus '' by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of t ...

Brides of Dracula The Brides of Dracula are fictional characters in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel '' Dracula''. They are three seductive female vampire "sisters" who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania, where they entrance men with their beauty ...

The Gorgon ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

The Reptile ''The Reptile'' is a 1966 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by John Gilling, and starred Noel Willman, Jacqueline Pearce, Ray Barrett, Jennifer Daniel, and Michael Ripper. Plot summary In the 20th century in the fic ...

, Dracula, Quatermass and the Pit and The Mummy. Furthermore, Hammer screenwriter

Jimmy Sangster James Henry Kinmel Sangster (2 December 1927 – 19 August 2011) was a British screenwriter and director, most famous for his work on the initial horror films made by the British company Hammer Films, including '' The Curse of Frankenstein'' (19 ...

was invited to present some of the movies.

Spectre Film Festival

With the Hammer Film Festival being a success the organization decided to renew the experience in 2007 with the Spectre Film Festival. This time around the festival focused on

films from the 1950s to the 1980s with the screening of space operas,

Japanese science fiction Science fiction is an important genre of modern Japanese literature that has strongly influenced aspects of contemporary Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga, video games, tokusatsu, and cinema. History Origins Both Japan's history ...

films, Jack Arnold's movies and

Social science fiction Social science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction, usually (but not necessarily) soft science fiction, concerned less with technology/space opera and more with speculation about society. In other words, it "absorbs and discusses anthropol ...

features. Moreover, some of the screenings were available in 3D such as the

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

. The festival program included features like

Forbidden planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story by Allen Adler and Irvi ...

, Plan 9 from Outer Space, Starcrash,

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

Invasion of Astro-Monster is a 1965 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the sixth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise and Shōwa period. The film was a Japanese-American co-production; it was the second collaboration b ...

and

The War in Space ''The War in Space'', released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1977. Plot In Autumn of the year 1988, contact with Space Station Terra is lost while sightings of UFOs are being reported ...

. More guests were invited during this edition with the presence of

François Schuiten François Schuiten (; born 26 April 1956) is a Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series '' Les Cités Obscures''. Biography François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "François Sc ...

Benoît Peeters Benoît Peeters (; born 1956) is a French comics writer, novelist, and comics studies scholar. Biography After a degree in Philosophy at Université de Paris I, Peeters prepared his Master's at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales ...

Luigi Cozzi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo' ...

, Jean Pierre Berthome and Jean Alessandrini.

Creation of the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival

In 2008 the festival joined the

European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...

(EFFFF) as an adherent member and changed its name to ''Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival''. In addition to its usual screenings the festival added two competitions, respectively between European short films and European feature films. The SEFFF invited Lamberto Bava,

and Jean-François Rauger to become the festival's first jury. Finally during this edition the festival paid tribute to the work of

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...

through multiple screenings. In 2009 the festival kept a similar format to the previous year. During this edition the jury was composed of

Jean-Jacques Bernard Jean-Jacques Bernard (30 July 1888 – 14 September 1972) was a French playwright and the chief representative of what became known as ''l’école du silence'' or, as some critics called it, the ''art of the unexpressed'', in which the dialogue doe ...

Marina de Van Marina de Van (; born 8 February 1971) is a French film director, screenwriter and actress. Her film, '' Don't Look Back'', was screened out of competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Her brother is , he appeared with her in the 1998 f ...

and its president

. Moreover, for this second edition the SEFFF organized a retrospective of George Frangu work and celebrated the 20th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien.

Affiliation with the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation

Third Edition

In 2010 the SEFFF moved up to affiliated membership in the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation enabling them to hold a Méliès d’Argent competition. This award nominate a feature film and a short film to the Méliès d'or competition that is held during

Sitges Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nights ...

Film Festival. This year jury was made of

, Manlio Gomarasca,

Axelle Carolyn Axelle Carolyn (born 3 April 1979 in Brussels) is a Belgian filmmaker and former actress and journalist. Biography Acting Amongst many other jobs she worked on her way to directing her first films, Carolyn briefly worked in front of the camera. ...

and Alexandre O. Philippe. The theme of this third edition revolved around

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

work, the Italian pop cinema of the 1960s and the 30th anniversary of Star Wars Episode 2. The movie Buried which won Strasbourg's first Méliès d’Argent went on winning this year Méliès d'or.

Fourth Edition

The fourth edition of the festival was marked by the presence of George A. Romero as the president of this year's jury. Romero's work as well as

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

's and

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

's were celebrated during the festival with the screenings of their major features. Furthermore

Ben Templesmith Ben Templesmith (born 7 March 1984) is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series ''Fell (comics), Fell'', with writer Warren Ellis, and IDW Publishing, IDW's ...

and Jean-Baptiste Thoret joined Romero to form the jury and directors such as Lucky McKee, Keith Wright and Matti Bye were invited as special guests.

Fifth Edition

In 2012 the festival kept on growing with an even greater number of days, screenings and guests. This year theme was Post-apocalypse world as well as

Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...

's and

Emeric Pressburger Emeric Pressburger (born Imre József Pressburger; 5 December 19025 February 1988) was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a collaborat ...

's work. The jury was composed of

, Pierre Bordage, Alan Jones and

(the 2011 Méliès d’Argent winner). Moreover, many film crews were invited such as Colin Trevorrow,

Johannes Roberts Johannes Roberts (born 24 May 1976) is a British film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed the film ''47 Meters Down'' and its sequel, as well as ''The Other Side of the Door'', '' The Strangers: Prey at Night'' and '' Resident Evil ...

, Juan Carlos Medina, Zack Parker, Alexandre O. Philippe, Boris Rodriguez, Robin Entreinger, Justin Benson, Aaron S. Moorhead, Juan Martinez Moreno and Ryan Andrews.

Sixth Edition

In 2013, the festival's size increased once again, with the addition of more special screenings, more crossovers movies, a new documentaries section, etc. Furthermore, during this 6th edition, the festival managed to get one international premiere, three European premieres (Proxy of Zach Parker,

All Cheerleaders Die ''All Cheerleaders Die'' is a 2013 American horror comedy film written and directed by Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson. It is a remake of their 2001 film of the same name that was also written and directed by McKee and Sivertson, and stars Cait ...

and

Machete Kills ''Machete Kills'' (also known as ''Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills'') is a 2013 American action exploitation film directed by Robert Rodriguez, with a screenplay by Kyle Ward, from a story by Robert and Marcel Rodriguez. Based on the eponymo ...

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

) and numerous French premieres. This year's retrospective revolved around King Kong and El Santo. The feature films' jury was composed of

(2011 Golden Octopus winner) as president, Travis Stevens,

Carlos Areces Carlos Areces (born 27 March 1976) is a Spanish actor, singer, and comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from ...

, Julien Gester and Tomas Lemarquis. Other notable guests included Xan Cassavetes,

Sianoa Smit-McPhee Sianoa Smit-McPhee is an Australian actress. She is best known for her years in Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' as Bree Timmins. Early life Sianoa Smit-McPhee was born in South Australia. She showed an interest in performing at a very you ...

Anna Mouglalis Anna Mouglalis ( el, Άννα Μουγλάλη; born 26 April 1978) is a French actress and model. She is known for being a house ambassador for Chanel since 2002, and for portraying the fashion designer Coco Chanel in the 2009 film '' Coco Chan ...

, Zach Parker and Bobby Boermans. A new independent video game contest, called Indium Game Contest, was also held during the 2013 SEFFF.

Seventh Edition

For the seventh edition

presided over the SEFFF jury on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Other members of the feature film jury were Juan Martinez Moreno and Xavier Palud. As usual a part of the festival was devoted to past movies with a first retrospective on the theme of "Sympathy for the Devil" and second one focusing on Tobe Hooper's work. This edition's notable guests were Ana Lily Amirpour, Leigh Janiak, Till Kleinert, Pau Esteve Birba, Xavier Palud,

Fabrice du Welz Fabrice Du Welz (born 21 October 1972 in Belgium) is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He has directed several films including '' Calvaire'' in 2004, ''Vinyan'' in 2008 and '' Message from the King'' in 2016. Career Fabrice du Welz, b ...

Steve Oram Stephen John Oram is an English actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He is known for his role in the 2012 film ''Sightseers'', which he also co-wrote. Life and career Oram was born in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England. He started as a ...

and

Helena Noguerra Helena Noguerra (18 May 1969) is a Belgian actress, singer and writer. Career Noguerra was born in Brussels, Belgium. Her songs have been used in commercials and television programmes such as ''Lunettes noires pour nuits blanches'' by Thier ...

. Other events included an outdoor screening of

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and ...

which was held in front of 2000 people at the foot of the

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

for the 30th anniversary of the movie, a silent film concert of Faust, a master class held by Tobe Hooper, etc. The Indium Game Contest came back for a second edition during this seventh edition of SEFFF with a selection of 18 independent video games.

Awards

2008

;Feature films * Golden Octopus for the best European fantastic film: ''

Vinyan ''Vinyan'' is a 2008 British-French-Belgian-Australian drama horror film directed and co-written by Fabrice du Welz and starring Emmanuelle Béart, Rufus Sewell, and Julie Dreyfus. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 30 August 2008. ...

'' of

Fabrice Du Welz Fabrice Du Welz (born 21 October 1972 in Belgium) is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He has directed several films including '' Calvaire'' in 2004, ''Vinyan'' in 2008 and '' Message from the King'' in 2016. Career Fabrice du Welz, b ...

(France) * Jury Special Mention: ''

Shiver Shivering (also called shuddering) is a bodily function in response to cold and extreme fear in warm-blooded animals. When the core body temperature drops, the shivering reflex is triggered to maintain homeostasis. Skeletal muscles begin to s ...

'' of Isidro Ortiz (Espagne) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic film: ''

The Substitute ''The Substitute'' is a 1996 American crime action thriller film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson, Marc Anthony, William Forsythe, Raymond Cruz and Luis Guzmán. It was filmed at Miami Sr. High school. Plot Jo ...

'' of

Ole Bornedal Ole Bornedal (born 26 May 1959) is a Danish film director, actor and producer. Bornedal was born in Nørresundby, Denmark. He wrote and directed '' Nattevagten'' (''Nightwatch'', 1994), a thriller about a law student who works in a morgue as ...

(Denmark) ;Short films * Golden Octopus for the best European short fantastic film: ''Scary'' of Martijn Hullegie (Netherlands) * Jury Special Mention: ''L'insomniaque'' de Mathieu Mazzoni (France) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic short film: ''Scary'' of Martijn Hullegie (Netherlands) * Student Jury Prize for the best European short fantastic film: ''Cold And Dry'' of

Kristoffer Joner Kristoffer Joner (born 19 September 1972) is a Norwegian actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Villmark'' and ''The Man Who Loved Yngve''. He was a part of Rogaland Teater when he was 14 years of age until his early 20s. He was one of the f ...

(Norway)

2009

;Feature films * Golden Octopus for the best European fantastic film: ''

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

'' of

Duncan Jones Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971) is a British film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Moon'' (2009), ''Source Code'' (2011), ''Warcraft'' (2016), and ''Mute'' (2018). For ''Moon'', ...

(UK) * Jury Special Mention: '' The Children'' of

Tom Shankland Thomas Otto Shankland (born 7 May 1968) is an English film and television director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the horror films ''WΔZ'' (2007) and '' The Children'' (2008), and television series such as ''The Fades'' (2011), '' Ri ...

(UK) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic film: ''

Dead Snow ''Dead Snow'' ( no, Død snø) is a 2009 Norwegian comedy horror film directed by Tommy Wirkola, starring Charlotte Frogner, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jenny Skavlan, and Lasse Valdal. The film centers ...

'' of

Tommy Wirkola Tommy Wirkola (born 6 December 1979) is a Norwegian film director and writer. Career His first film was 2007's '' Kill Buljo'', which he co-wrote with Stig Frode Henriksen. They later made the 2009 horror comedy ''Dead Snow''. In 2010 they agai ...

(Norway) ;Short films * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''Full Employment'' of Thomas Oberlies and Matthias Vogel (Germany) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic short film: ''Full Employment'' of Thomas Oberlies and Matthias Vogel (Germany) * Student Jury Prize for the best European short fantastic film: ''The Knot'' of Kjersti Steinsbø (Norway)

2010

;Feature films * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: '' Buried'' of Rodrigo Cortes (Spain) * Jury Special Mention: ''Zwart Water'' of Elbert van Strien (Netherlands) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic film: '' Buried'' of Rodrigo Cortes (Spain) ;Short films * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''Mr Foley'' of D.A.D.D.Y (Ireland) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic short film: ''Mr Foley'' of D.A.D.D.Y (Ireland) * Student Jury Prize for the best European short fantastic film: ''Fard'' of David Alapont and Luis Briceno (France)

2011

;Feature films * Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: '' The Woman'' of

(USA) * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''

Hideaways ''Hideaways'' is a fantasy thriller film directed by Agnès Merlet and written by Nick Murphy. It stars Rachel Hurd-Wood and Harry Treadaway. The film is a French/Irish/Swedish co-production. Plot James Furlong is the last in a long line of Fu ...

'' of

(Ireland) * Jury Special Mention: ''

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

'' of

Shunji Iwai is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...

(USA, Japan) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic film: '' The Woman'' of

(Spain) ;Short films * Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

'' of

Nash Edgerton Nash Edgerton (born 19 January 1973) is an Australian film director, actor and stuntman, and a principal member of the movie-making collective Blue-Tongue Films. Early life Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales and grew up in Dural ...

(Australia) * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''La Femme à Cordes'' of Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka (France, Belgium) * Audience Award for the best European fantastic short film: ''Legend of the Beaver Dam'' of Jérome Sable (Canada) * Student Jury Prize for the best European short fantastic film: ''Legend of the Beaver Dam'' de Jérome Sable (Canada) ;Short films made in France * Seppia price: ''L'Attaque du Monstre Géant Suceur de Cerveaux de l'Espace'' of Guillaume Rieu (France)

2012

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''

Sound of My Voice ''Sound of My Voice'' is a 2011 American psychological thriller film directed by Zal Batmanglij in his feature directorial debut and starring Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius and Brit Marling. The plot focuses on two documentary filmmakers wh ...

'' of

Zal Batmanglij Zal Batmanglij (Persian: زال باتمانقلیچ; born on April 28, 1981) is an American film director and screenwriter. He directed and co-wrote the 2011 film ''Sound of My Voice'' and the 2013 film '' The East'', both of which premiered at ...

* The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''Painless'' of Juan Carlos Medina * The Jury Special Mention: '' Excision'' of Richard Bates Jr. * The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''

Grabbers ''Grabbers'' is a 2012 Monster movie, monster horror comedy film directed by Jon Wright and written by Kevin Lehane. A co-production of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the film stars Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Bronagh Gallagher and Russell Tov ...

'' of

Jon Wright Jon Wright is a Northern Irish writer and film director. Career He is known for directing the Irish monster movie ''Grabbers'' and the British low budget horror comedy '' Tormented'' starring Alex Pettyfer. He directed and co-wrote the scienc ...

;Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Last Bus'' of Ivana Laucikova and Martin Snopek * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''The Bird Spider'' (''La Migala'') of Jaime Dezcallar * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Last Bus'' of Ivana Laucikova and Martin Snopek * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Bird Spider'' (''La Migala'') of Jaime Dezcallar * The Special Mention for the best international short fantastic film: ''A Curious Conjunction Of Coincidences'' of Jost Reijmers ;Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Le Vivier'' of Sylvia Guillet * The Special Mention for the French fantastic short film: ''The Island Keeper'' of Aude Cabannes, Julien Malot and Charlotte Pipet

2013

; Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''

Kiss of the Damned ''Kiss of the Damned'' is a 2012 American vampire horror film, written and directed by Xan Cassavetes. The film played at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival and was released in theaters on May 3, 2013. The filming locations were New York City and New Fa ...

'' of Xan Cassavetes * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: '' Borgman ''of

Alex van Warmerdam Alex van Warmerdam (born 14 August 1952) is a Dutch screenwriter, film director, and actor. He is also a painter. Life and career Van Warmerdam was born in Haarlem, a city in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. He was cofounder of ...

* The Jury Special Mention: ''Dark Touch ''of

* The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: '' Uma História de Amor e Fúria'' of Luiz Bolognesi ; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''Yardbird ''of Michael Spiccia * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''No tiene gracia (Not Funny)'' of Carlos Violadé * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: No tiene gracia (Not Funny) of Carlos Violadé * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''Yardbird ''of Michael Spiccia * The Special Mention for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Hunt'' of Spencer Estabrooks ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''The Things they Left Behind'' of Guillaume Heulard and Stépahen Valette * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''Prgy-Skok'' of Leonid Shmelkov Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best completed game: ''Elemental4l'' of i-illusions * The Octopix for the best work in progress: ''Pathogen ''of Zach Bonn

2014

; Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''

White God ''White God'' ( hu, Fehér isten) is a 2014 Hungarian drama film directed by Kornél Mundruczó and starring Zsófia Psotta. The film premiered on 17 May 2014, as part of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The film follows the mixed-breed dog ...

'' of

Kornél Mundruczó Kornél Mundruczó (; born 3 April 1975) is a Hungarian film and theatre director. He has directed 18 short and feature films between 1998 and 2020. His film ''Johanna'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2005 Cannes Film Fest ...

* The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''

Cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

'' of Manuel Martín Cuenca * The Jury Special Mention: ''

Alleluia Alleluia (derived from the Hebrew ''Hallelujah'', meaning "Praise Yahweh") is a Latin phrase in Christianity used to give praise to God. In Christian worship, Alleluia is used as a liturgical chant in which that word is combined with verses of ...

'' of

* The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: '' Housebound'' of Gerard Johnstone ; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Landing'' of Josh Tanner * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''Robotics'' of Jasper Bazuin * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''Ceremony for a Friend'' of Kaveh Ebrahimpour * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''Robotics'' of Jasper Bazuin * The Special Mention for the best international short fantastic film: ''Ceremony for a Friend'' of Kaveh Ebrahimpour * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''Imposteur'' of Elie Chapuis * The Special Mention for the best animated short film: ''La Bête'' of Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Shadow'' of Lorenzo Recio Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''The Coral Cave'' * The Jury Special Mention: ''Savage - The Shard of Gozen''

2015

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: '' The Invitation'' of

Karyn Kusama Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (born March 21, 1968) is an American filmmaker. She made her directorial and writing feature film debut with the sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000) for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for B ...

* The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''

The Hallow ''The Hallow'' (originally titled ''The Woods'') is a 2015 horror film directed by Corin Hardy, written by Hardy and Felipe Marino, and starring Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, and Michael Smiley. It is a British-Irish co-pro ...

'' of

Corin Hardy Corin Hardy (born 6 January 1975) is an English film director. He made his directorial debut with the 2015 horror film '' The Hallow'', which he also co-wrote. He directed the 2018 horror film '' The Nun'', a spin-off of ''The Conjuring 2'' (2 ...

* The Jury Special Mention: '' The Survivalist'' of Stephen Fingleton * The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''

The Lobster ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' of

Yorgos Lanthimos Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos ( el, Γιώργος Λάνθιμος, Giórgos Lánthimos, ; born 23 September 1973) is a Greek film director, film producer, screenwriter, photographer, theatre director and former professional basketball player. Sin ...

; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''Barrow'' of Wade K. Savage * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''Detector'' of Floris Kingma * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''Detector'' of Floris Kingma * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''Detector'' of Floris Kingma * The Special Mention for the best international short fantastic film: ''Clones'' of Rafael Bolliger * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: '' World of Tomorrow'' of Don Hertzfeldt * The Special Mention for the best animated short film: ''Le Repas Dominical'' of Céline Deveaux ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Aquabike'' of Jean-Baptiste Saurel * The Special Mention for the best French fantastic short film: ''Garçonne'' of Nicolas Sarkissian Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''Apocalypse Cow'' of Monsters are here * The Jury Prize for the best game: ''Zombie Night Terror'' of NoClip

2016

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

'' of

Julia Ducournau Julia Ducournau (; born 18 November 1983) is a French film director and screenwriter. She made her feature film debut in 2016 with ''Raw''. At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, she won the Palme d'Or for her film ''Titane'', which made her the second ...

* The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''

I Am Not a Serial Killer ''I Am Not A Serial Killer'' is a 2009 horror novel written by American author Dan Wells, originally published by Tor Books. It is Wells' debut novel and the first installment in the John Cleaver series. It is followed by five books, and has b ...

'' of Billy O'Brien * The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''

'' of

* The Jury Prize for the best crossover film: '' Psycho Raman'' of

Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...

; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Disappearance of Willie Bingham'' of Matt Richards * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''The Tunnel (Tunnelen)'' of

André Øvredal André Øvredal (; born 1973) is a Norwegian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films '' Trollhunter'', '' The Autopsy of Jane Doe'' and '' Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark''. Life and career He is best known fo ...

* The Special Mention for the best short film: ''Subotika, Land of Wonders'' of Peter Volkart * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''Madam Black'' of Ivan Barge * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Disappearance of Willie Bingham'' of Matt Richards * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''Teeth'' of Daniel Gray and Tom Brown ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Quenottes'' of Pascal Thiebaux and Gil Pinheiro Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''Mars Underground'' of Matthew Sanderson * The Jury Prize for the best game: ''Machiavillain'' of Wild Factor

2017

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''Double Date'' of Benjamin Barfoot * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''

Let the Corpses Tan ''Let the Corpses Tan'' (french: Laissez bronzer les cadavres) is a 2017 neo-Western crime film directed and written by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. The film is based on the novel ''Laissez bronzer les cadavres'' by Jean-Patrick Manchette ...

'' of

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani are husband-and-wife filmmakers based in Brussels, Belgium. They have worked as a writing and directing team for their entire professional film careers. Their most acclaimed works include ''Amer'' (2009), '' The S ...

* The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''

Dave Made a Maze ''Dave Made a Maze'' is a 2017 American fantasy adventure comedy horror film directed by Bill Watterson, and starring Nick Thune, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Kirsten Vangsness, Stephanie Allynne, James Urbaniak and John Hennigan. The film centers on th ...

'' of Bill Waterson * The Jury Special Mention: ''Earth and Light (Terra e Luz)'' of Renné França * The Jury Prize for the best crossover film: ''Bitch (film), Bitch'' of Marianna Palka ; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''Fucking Bunnies (Saatanan Kanit)'' of Teemu Niukkanen * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''The Absence of Eddy Table'' of Rune Spaans * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''Expire'' of Magali Magistry * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Robbery'' of Jim Cummings * The Jury Special Mention for the best short film: ''Mouse'' of Celine Held and Logan George * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''The Absence of Eddy Table'' of Rune Spaans * The Jury Special Mention for the best animated short film: ''Pussy (Cipka)'' of Renata Gąsiorowska ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Animal'' of Jules Janaud and Fabrice Le Nézet Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''Do Not Feed the Monkeys'' of Fictiorama Studios * The Jury Prize for the best student game: ''Abadi'' of Beetle Games (ETPA Toulouse) * The Arte Creative prize: ''oQo'' of Lance and 3-50

2018

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''Exit (Cutterhead)'' of Rasmus Kloster Bro * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''The House That Jack Built (2018 film), The House that Jack Built'' of Lars von Trier * The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''Exit (Cutterhead)'' of Rasmus Kloster Bro * The Jury Special Mention: ''Prospect (film), Prospect'' of Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl * The Jury Prize for the best animated film (ex aequo): ''Mirai (film), Mirai (Mirai no Mirai)'' of Mamoru Hosoda * The Jury Prize for the best crossover film: ''Xiao Mei'' of Maren Hwang * The Special Mention for the best crossover film: ''Pig (2018 film), Pig (Khook)'' of Mani Haghighi ; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''Babs'' of Celine Held and Logan George * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''À l'aube'' of Julien Trauman * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''Deer Boy'' of Katarzyna Gondek * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Girl in the Snow (Das Mädchen im schnee)'' of Dennis Ledergerber * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''Lola, une patate vivante'' of Leonid Shmelkov * The Jury Special Mention for the best animated short film: ''Mr. Deer'' of Mojtaba Mousavi ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Chose mentale'' of William Laboury Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''Nine Witches : Family Disruption'' of One Man Game * The Audience Award for the best game: ''The Textorcist'' of Morbidware

2019

;Feature films * The Golden Octopus for the best international fantastic film: ''In Fabric'' of Peter Strickland (director), Peter Strickland * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European fantastic film: ''In Fabric'' of Peter Strickland (director), Peter Strickland * The Audience Award for the best international fantastic film: ''The Room (2019 film), The Room'' of Christian Volckman * The Jury Special Mention: ''Little Joe (film), Little Joe'' of Jessica Hausner * The Cigogne d'Or for the best animated film (ex aequo): ''I Lost My Body'' of Jérémy Clapin and ''Away (2019 film), Away'' of Gints Zilbalodis * The Jury Special Mention for the best animated film: ''Marona's Fantastic Tale'' of Anca Damian * The Jury Prize for the best crossover film: ''Dogs Don't Wear Pants (Koirat eivät käytä housuja)'' of Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää ; Short films * The Golden Octopus for the best international short fantastic film: ''Fauve (film), Fauve'' of Jérémy Comte * The Méliès d’Argent for the best European short fantastic film: ''Yandere'' of William Laboury * The Student Jury Prize for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Burden (Het Juk)'' of Nico Dan Ben Brink * The Student Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''Pulsion'' of Pedro Casavecchia * The Audience Award for the best international short fantastic film: ''The Burden (Het Juk)'' of Nico Dan Ben Brink * The Jury Prize for the best animated short film: ''L'heure de l'ours'' of Agnès Patron ; Short films made in France * The Jury Prize for the best French fantastic short film: ''Animal'' of Jules Janaud and Fabrice Le Nézet Indium Game Contest * The Octopix for the best game: ''Backbone (video game), Backbone'' of EggNut * The Audience Award for the best game: ''Scourgebringer'' of Flying Oak Games

Opening and closing ceremonies

Since 2008 the festival schedule an opening and closing ceremony, which usually consist in a European movie premiere. Those movies were : * 2008: ''Hellboy 2'' of Guillermo del Toro and ''Death Race (2008 film), Death Race'' of Paul W. S. Anderson * 2009: ''Esther'' of Jaume Collet-Serra and ''Trick 'r Treat'' of Michael Dougherty * 2010: ''The Last Exorcism'' of Daniel Stamm and ''Kaboom (film), Kaboom'' of Gregg Araki * 2011: ''Super (2010 American film), Super'' of James Gunn (filmmaker), James Gunn and ''Tucker & Dale vs. Evil'' of Eli Craig * 2012: ''Robot & Frank'' of Jake Schreier and ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' of Colin Trevorrow * 2013: ''We Are What We Are (2013 film), We Are What We Are'' of Jim Mickle and''

'' of

* 2014: ''These Final Hours'' of Zak Hilditch and'' Predestination (film), Predestination'' of the Spierig brothers

Other activities around the festival

Since its beginning, the festival celebrate some of the most famous fantastic films directors and sagas such as Aliens, King Kong and Romero's "of the Dead Series", through exhibits, retrospectives, lectures and workshops. In 2009 the first Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk was organized which marked the start of the festival. The walk brought together a few hundreds people for its first year but quickly grew bigger with more than 3500 people in 2012 and around 4000 people in 2014, making it one of the biggest zombie walk in Europe. Usually the walk is followed by the Bal des Zombies during which bands such as Daemonia and Mine Power Cosmic perform. Since the 5th Edition of the festival a "Nuit des Nanars" (English: Night of the Z movie, Z Movies) is organized. During this event 3 to 4 old Z movies are screened from midnight to the morning after. Some of the "Nanars" shown included: King Kong vs. Godzilla, Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century, The Mighty Peking Man, Rats: Night of Terror, Vendetta dal futuro, Atomic Cyborg, etc. During the seventh edition of the festival, the "Nuit des Nanars" was exceptionally replaced by the "Cannon TestosteroneFest" during which three action movies of the late independent production company The Cannon Group were screened. Moreover, a few exhibitors as well as a bar form the Village Fantastique where visitors can meet other fans as well as film crews, members of the jury and some of the festival organizers.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Film festivals in France Festivals in Strasbourg