Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
September 22, 2023 | October 1, 2023
The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival was founded by Les Films du Spectre in 2006 as a thematic festival. Subsidised by French regional and local authorities and with a 7-fold increase in visitors since its launch, it now holds Méliès competitions for both European feature and short fantastic films. The best international fantastic film is awarded the Golden Octopus. Short films can also screen in the "Made in France" section catering to French productions or in the international short film section. Other feature film sections include: "Crossovers", for borderline not-quite-fantastic films; "Midnight Extremes", for more disturbing films; and world fantastic films outside competition.
The festival is strongly committed to cinema heritage; and past revivals have showcased Hammer Studios, Ray Harryhausen, James Whale, Roger Corman, Italian 1960s pop and Val Lewton, to name but a few.
The Strasbourg Festival is a multi-faceted event: screening the latest in European and world genre cinema (horror, sci-fi, fantasy), it also proposes Q and A with film crews, silent film concerts and many side attractions. There are conferences, master classes for students, exhibitions, forums, vintage poster auctions, workshops, the Fantastic Village and the Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk – one of the largest in Europe – followed by the annual Zombies' ball.
The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival is held in a mind-bogglingly beautiful city on the Ill River – home to the European institutions and medieval Gothic wonders.
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