Imagine Film Festival

Last updated

Imagine Film Festival
LocationAmsterdam, Netherlands
Founded1991
AwardsSea Devil Award, Silver Scream Award, Silver Méliès
Festival dateAnnually, at the end of October
Website www.imaginefilmfestival.nl/en/

The Imagine Film Festival, formerly Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (AFFF), also known as Imagine Fantastic Film Festival or simply Imagine, is an annual film festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands. [1] The festival was created in 1991 as the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, with a focus mainly on fantasy and horror films, [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] before changing its name in 2009. [7]

Contents

History

Imagine started out as the "Weekend of Terror". After several years, this weekend turned into a full-blown festival in 1991, titled the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (AFFF [8] ). It showed a wide array of international genre films, not just horror but also sci-fi, fantasy, martial arts and anime.

In 2004, the AFFF hosted the Golden Méliès Gala (best European fantastic long and short films).

In 2009, the festival got a new name: Imagine Film Festival. With the name change, the organization wanted to emphasize that the festival had become more focused on films that cannot be strictly defined as fantasy, horror or science fiction over the years. [8]

In 2013, after many years based at the Kriterion, the festival chose the EYE Film Institute as its home base. During the years at Eye, the festival started adding VR experiences as well as games, under the flag of "Imagine Expanded", and extended its science programme.

In 2022, both the timing and the venues were changed: to the end of October instead of mid-April, and at two new base venues. [9]

Description

Imagine takes place at the end of October, at LAB111 and de Filmhallen. [10]

The festival aims to acquaint both film lovers and the general public with a selection of new and classic films from genres such as fantasy, horror and science fiction. A large part of the program consists of genre films, exploitation films, cult films and obscure films, though the offerings have become increasingly diverse over the years.

The event is organised by the Foundation AFFF for no profit and receives subsidies from the Film Fund and the City of Amsterdam.

Awards

The Imagine Time Capsule was awarded between 2010 and 2015. Other former awards include the Black Tulip Award, the VR Award, and the Lifetime / Career Achievement Award.

As of 2024, the prizes awarded at the festival are: [11] [12]

Sea Devil Award

Formerly Black Tulip Award. In 2006, the jury prize was awarded in three categories but afterwards only in the category of best feature:

CategoryFilm TitleDirector
Best Feature 2024 Rita Jayro Bustamante
Best Feature 2023 Tiger Stripes Amanda Nell Eu
Best Feature 2022AshkalYoussef Chebbie
as Black Tulip Award
Best Feature 2021 History of the Occult Cristian Ponce
Best Feature 2020 The Mortuary Collection Ryan Spindell
Best Feature 2019 The Father's Shadow Gabriela Amaral Almeida
Best Feature 2018 Tigers Are Not Afraid Issa López
Best Feature 2017 Are We Not Cats Xander Robin
Best Feature 2016 Into the Forest Patricia Rozema
Best Feature 2015 Sunrise Partho Sen-Gupta
Best Feature 2014 Coherence James Ward Byrkit
Best Feature 2013 Wolf Children Mamoru Hosoda
Best Feature 2012 Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal Boris Rodriguez
Best Feature 2011 Bedevilled Jang Cheol-soo
Best Feature 2010 The Seventh Circle Arpad Sopsits
Best Feature 2009 Let the Right One In Tomas Alfredson
Best Feature 2008 Timecrimes Nacho Vigalondo
Best Feature 2007 The Bothersome Man Jens Lien
Best Feature 2006 Next Door Pål Sletaune
Best Feature Debut 2006 MirrorMask Dave McKean & Neil Gaiman
Best Short 2006 Doll Nr. 639 András Dési & Gábor Móray

Méliès Awards

The Méliès Awards are an initiative of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (formerly European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, or EFFFF), of which Imagine has been a member since 1996. Affiliated festivals each year grant two Silver Méliès Award during their festival, one for best fantastic feature, and one for best fantastic short. The winners then join the Méliès d'Or Award ceremony.

Amsterdam Méliès-winners:

YearFilm TitleDirector
2024 Mr. K Tallulah H. Schwab
2023 Infested Sébastien Vanícek
2022 Attachment Gabriel Bier Gislason
2021 Censor Prano Bailey-Bond
2020 Dogs Don’t Wear Pants Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää
2019 O Beautiful Night [13] Xaver Xylophon
2018 The Place [14] Paolo Genovese
2017 Skins [15] Eduardo Casanova
2016 The Survivalist Stephen Fingleton
2015 Liza, the Fox-Fairy Károly Ujj Mészáros
2014 The Samurai  [ de ] Till Kleinert  [ de ]
2013 The End Jorge Torregrossa
2012 Sleep Tight Jaume Balagueró
2011 Suiker Jeroen Annokkeé
2010 Transmission Roland Vranik
2009 Before the Fall F. Javier Gutiérrez
2008 The King of the Mountain Gonzalo López-Gallego
2007 Them David Moreau & Xavier Palud
2006 Storm Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein
2005 Calvaire Fabrice du Welz
2004 The Green Butchers Anders Thomas Jensen
2003 My Little Eye Marc Evans
2002 The Devil's Backbone Guillermo del Toro
2001 Heart of the Warrior Daniel Monzón

Silver Scream Award

The Silver Scream Award is voted by the audience of the festival.

YearFilm TitleDirector
2024 Anora Sean Baker
2023 The Boy and the Heron Hayao Miyazaki
2022 Escape to the Silver Globe Kuba Mikurda
2021 Alien on Stage Lucy Harvey & Dannielle Kummer
2019 One Cut of the Dead [16] Shinchiro Ueda
2018 Isle of Dogs Wes Anderson
2017 Get Out Jordan Peele
2016 They Call Me Jeeg Gabriele Mainetti
2015 Ex Machina Alex Garland
2014 Jodorowsky's Dune Frank Pavich
2013 The Battery Jeremy Gardner
2012 The Raid Gareth Evans
2011 The Perfect Host Nicholas Tomnay
2010 Mary and Max Adam Elliot
2009 Let the Right One In Tomas Alfredson
2008 REC Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza
2007 Adam's Apples Anders Thomas Jensen
2006 Ordinary Man Vincent Lannoo
2005 Kung Fu Hustle Stephen Chow
2004 Tempus Fugit Enric Folch
2003 Spirited Away Hayao Miyazaki
2002 Donnie Darko Richard Kelly
2001 Heart of the Warrior Daniel Monzón
2000 Galaxy Quest Dean Parisot
1999 eXistenZ David Cronenberg
1998 Dark City Alex Proyas
1996 From Dusk Till Dawn Robert Rodriguez
1995 Dellamorte Dellamore Michele Soavi
1994 Return of the Living Dead 3 Brian Yuzna
1993 Braindead Peter Jackson
1992 Akira Katsuhiro Otomo
1991 The Silence of the Lambs Jonathan Demme
1990 Nightbreed Clive Barker

VR Award

In 2018, the inaugural VR Award was awarded to an eight-channel video Australian work called The Summation of Force, by filmmaker Matthew Bate and photographers Narelle Autio and Trent Parke. [17] [18]

Lifetime/Career Achievement Award

The Lifetime/Career Achievement Award has been awarded to the following people:

Imagine Time Capsule

This prize was awarded for online entries between 2010 and 2015:

YearFilm TitleDirector
2015 We Love Robots Bram Roza & Jurriaan Verdoold
2014 Looking for Laika Thijs Molenaar & Laurens Roorda
2013 Monsterpop Boriz Baatsen
2012 Mayan Prophecy Geoffrey Cramm
2011 Under the Dress Sasha Meijer
2010 The Vegan Vampire Suzi Terror

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References

  1. "Imagine FIlm Festival". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. "British Council Film: Imagine Film Festival". film-directory.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. Mulder, Frank (5 November 2023). "Tiger Stripes & Vermin winnaars Imagine Film Festival 2023 • Activiteiten". De Nachtvlinders; hét online horrormagazine van Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  4. "Imagine Fantastic Film Festival". De Hallen Amsterdam. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. s.r.o, Appio Digital. "Imagine (Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival) | DOKweb". dokweb.net. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  6. "IMAGINE: Fantastic Film Festival – A feast for the senses and lots of food for thought". acasadevidro.com (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  7. Peters, Mark (27 March 2014). "Imagine Film Festival - Amsterdam Fantastic Film Fest!". Amsterdamapartments.com. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Imagine nieuwe naam AFFF". Filmtotaal (in Dutch). 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. "Imagine 2022 Review: EXHIBIT #8 Displays Dutch Found Footage Fun". ScreenAnarchy. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  10. "Imagine Film Festival". I amsterdam. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  11. "Awards & Jury's". Imagine Filmfestival Amsterdam. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. "Imagine Fantastic FIlm Festival 2024". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  13. "Prijswinnaars Imagine Film Festival 2019 bekend! - Imagine Film Festival". imaginefilmfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019.
  14. "Imagine Film Festival 2019 The Winners of the Imagine Awards 2018 -". imaginefilmfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019.
  15. "Imagine Film Festival 2019 - Awards Imagine Film Festival uitgereikt". imaginefilmfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019.
  16. "Silver Scream Award goes to... - Imagine Film Festival". imaginefilmfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019.
  17. "Closer Productions". Closer Productions. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  18. "Autio and Parke win Imagine VR Award". Hugo Michell Gallery. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2024.