NIFFF Announces Méliès d’Argent Winners 2026
The 25th edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) came to a close after nine days celebrating the very best of international fantastic cinema. Marking its milestone anniversary, the festival welcomed around 165 guests, presented 129 films from across the globe and attracted an estimated 61,000 attendees, with sold-out screenings, standing ovations and memorable encounters confirming the enduring enthusiasm for bold and innovative genre filmmaking.
The festival’s awards honoured a remarkable selection of films that push the boundaries of fantastic cinema, recognising outstanding achievements across its international, Asian and audience competitions. Among the highlights, the Méliès d’argent Award was presented to the Best European Fantastic Genre Feature Film, continuing the festival’s commitment to promoting excellence in European genre cinema.
And the winner is…
Méliès d’Argent Award Winner – Feature Film @ NIFFF 2026
The winner of the Méliès d’Argent Award for Best European Fantastic Genre Feature Film at NIFFF is “Nightborn (Yön lapsi)” by Hanna Bergholm.
John and Saga have just moved into their family home in the middle of a Finnish forest and feel ready to start a new chapter in their marriage: expanding the family. Nine months and a difficult delivery later, their son sees the light. His incessant cries bring to mind a starving fox, not to mention his furry coat of hair. But that will, of course, prove to be the least of our new parents’ worries… Instead of serving up a pompous pseudo-scientific dissertation on postpartum complications, Hanna Bergholm unleashes her gruesome imagination while keeping her foot firmly pressed on the pedal of pitch-black humor. All this results in one of the trashiest films ever made about parenthood – a worthy successor to ROSEMARY’S BABY – or, if you will, a barely veiled call for collective vasectomy!
Méliès d’Argent Award Winner – Short Film @ NIFFF 2026
The winner of the Méliès d’Argent Award for Best European Fantastic Genre Short Film at NIFFF is “Le Mouvement tragique des sphères” by Simon Rieth (France, 2025).
1995. She discovers the existence of the spheres.
1996. He searches for traces of their passage.
A mother and her son confront the tragic secrets we have inherited. From a class photograph to a satellite image, the story of a revelation.
NIFFF is part of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, an association currently consisting of 35 film festivals, whose mission it is to promote European fantastic cinema around the globe. The Méliès d’argent is awarded to short films for cinematic quality and creativity. The winning short film at NIFFF qualifies for the competition for the Méliès d’or.
Don’t forget to watch the MELIES D’ARGENT Special Programs on our Méliès Fantastic Hub!