Fantasy Film Festivals Calendar

Fantasy Cinema is a major film genre that includes films related to the supernatural in the broadest sense.

The genre includes: Fantasy (e.g., Conan the Barbarian, Excalibur, Lord of the Rings, Beauty and the Beast), Horror (e.g., Zombie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dracula, The Exorcist, The Thing), Science Fiction (e.g., Alien, Blade Runner, Star Wars, Mad Max, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Back to the Future...), and in general all films with an irrational element in their universe or plot.

The expression of the Fantastic in Cinema is as old as Cinema itself (cf. The Devil's Manor by Georges Méliès, 1896) and allows for a creativity and subversiveness that ranks it among the most popular genres of Cinema. The genre has millions of fans and is celebrated by dozens of specialized festivals around the world.

But what are the best Fantasy Film Festivals?

Here is the list of the Mayn Fantastic Film festivals in the world, sorted by month of screening, to which we have added some smaller but equally exciting events. This list is regularly updated, do not hesitate to contact us to help us complete it.

Note that Mauvais-genres.com exhibits in several cinephile events throughout the year, the opportunity to admire more closely our posters and collectible photos, and to exchange between collectors passionate about Cinema (info and dates in our Newsletter and on our Facebook page).

Useful link: Also discover our collection of Film Festival Posters

January

Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival

Where? : Gérardmer, France / First edition : 1994 / Period : January / Genres : fantasy

Attendance: 100,000 visitors - 35,000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Dario Argento, Hideo Nakata, John McTiernan, William Friedkin, Paul Verhoeven, John Carpenter, Ken Russell, Terry Gilliam, Marc Caro, Claude Chabrol, John Malkovich, Rutger Hauer, Peter Coyote, Daniel Ceccaldi, Gérard Jugnot. Website: festival-gerardmer.com

https://festival-gerardmer.com/

February

Fantasporto International Film Festival

Where? Porto, Portugal / First Edition : 1981 / Période : February-March / Genres : fantasy, horreur, sci-fi

Attendance: 110 000 admissions - 47 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Christopher Lee.

Official Website : www.fantasporto.com

April

BIFFF / Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival

Where? Bruxelles, Belgique / First Edition : 1983 / Période : April / Genres : fantasy, horreur, science fiction, thriller

Attendance: 64 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Dario Argento, Franco Nero, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Caroline Munro, Sergi Lopez, William Friedkin, Terry Gilliam, Barbara Steele, Luc Besson, Syd Mead, Christopher Lloyd.

Official Website : www.bifff.net

Imagine Film Festival (ex AFFF / Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival)

Where? Amsterdam, Pays-Bas / First Edition : 1984 / Période : April / Genres : horreur, fantasy, science fiction, animation

Attendance: 17 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Stan Lee, Dick Maas, Dario Argento, Paul Verhoeven, Ray Harryhausen, Roger Corman, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Rutger Hauer.

Official Website : www.imaginefilmfestival.nl/en

June

Bloody Weekend

Where? Audincourt, France / First Edition : 2010 / Période : May / Genres : fantasy, horreur

Attendance: xxx

Prestigious guests: Philippe Nahon, Caroline Munro, Jean-Pierre Putters, Alain Schlockoff, Dominique Pinon, Silvia Collatina, René Manzor, Brian Yuzna, Jack Sholder, Fabio Frizzi, Yannick Dahan, Catriona MacColl, Graham Masterton, Nicholas Vince, John McNaughton.

Official Website : www.bloodyweekend.fr

July

BIFAN / Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (ex PiFan à Puchon)

Where? Bucheon, Corée du Sud / First Edition : 1997 / Période : July / Genres : fantasy, horreur, thriller

Attendance: 65 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Roger Corman, Irvin Kershner, Kim Tae Kyun, Maria Schneider, Alain Corneau, Brian Yuzna, Mick Garris.

Official Website : www.bifan.kr/eng

Fantasia International Film Festival

Where? Montréal, Canada / First Edition : 1996 / Période : July / Genres : fantasy, asiatique, horreur, action, sci-fi, animation

Attendance: 130 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Mark Hamill, David Arquette, John Carpenter, Xavier Gens, Ray Harryhausen, Satoshi Kon, Ted Kotcheff, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, John Landis, Malcolm McDowell, Hideo Nakata, Nicolas Winding Refn, Eli Roth, Ken Russell, Tom Savini.

Official Website : www.fantasiafestival.com

NIFFF / Festival International du Film fantasy de Neuchâtel

Where? Neuchâtel, Suisse / First Edition : 2000 / Période : July / Genres : fantasy

Attendance: 48 000 admissions - 37 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: George A. Romero, Joe Dante, John Landis, Terry Gilliam, Eli Roth et Hideo Nakata, Chris Carter.

Official Website : www.nifff.ch

August

FILM4 FrightFest

Where? Londres, UK / First Edition : 2000 / Période : August / Genres : horreur, fantasy

Attendance: xxx

Prestigious guests: George Romero, Barbara Crampton, Guillermo del Toro, Dario Argento, Jessica Alba, Clive Barker, Jake West, Neil Marchhall, Rob Zombie, John Landis, Tobe Hooper.

Official Website : www.frightfest.co.uk

September

Fantastic Fest

Where? Austin, Texas, USA / First Edition : 2005 / Période : September / Genres : horreur, sci-fi, fantasy, action, asiatique et films cultes

Attendance: xxx

Prestigious guests: Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Dolph Lundgren, JeMayne Clement, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Jess Franco, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, Roger Corman, Elijah Wood, Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez, Tim Burton.

Official Website : fantasticfest.com

FEFFS / Festival européen du film fantasy de Strasbourg

Where? Strasbourg, France / First Edition : 2008 / Période : September / Genres : fantasy, horreur, sci-fi, animation, thriller

Attendance: 10 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Lamberto Bava, Catherine Breillat, Marina De Van, Ruggero Deodato, Lucky McKee, Agnès Merlet, Caroline Munro, Philippe Nahon, Brian Yuzna, Roger Corman, Edith Scob, George Romero, Mick Garris, Tobe Hooper.

Official Website : strasbourgfestival.com

LIFFF / Lund International Fantastic Film Festival

Where? Lund, Suède / First Edition : 1995 / Période : September-octobre / Genres : fantasy

Attendance: xxx

Prestigious guests: Jack Hill, Brian Yuzna, Shinya Tsukamoto, Forrest J. Ackerman, Veit Helmer, Xavier Mendik, Richard Stanley, Marc Evans, Terry Gilliam, Eva Röse Peter Greenaway, Marc Caro, Corey Feldman, Niel Gaiman, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Juraj Jakubisko, Alexandre Aja. Lucky McKee, Danielle Harris, Jennifer Ulrich, John Howe.

Official Website : fff.se

Octobre

Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival

Where? Sitges, Catalonia, Espagne / First Edition : 1968 / Période : octobre / Genres : fantasy, horreur

Attendance: 180 000 admissions - 110 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Quentin Tarantino, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Elijah Wood, Álex de la Iglesia, Paul Verhoeven, Santiago Segura, Ralph Fiennes, George A. Romero, Cameron Diaz, Viggo Mortensen, Terry Gilliam, Rutger Hauer, John Landis, Joe Dante, Dino de Laurentiis, Takashi Miike, Tony Curtis, David Cronenberg, Johnnie To, Ray Liotta.

Official Website : sitgesfilmfestival.com

Screamfest Horror Film Festival

Where? Los Angeles, USA / First Edition : 2001 / Période : octobre / Genres : horreur

Attendance: xxx

Prestigious guests: Wes Craven, Eli Roth, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Roy Lee, Clive Barker, Sean Cunningham, John Landis.

Official Website : screamfestla.com

Toronto After Dark Film Festival

Where? Toronto, Canada / First Edition : 2006 / Période : octobre / Genres : horreur, sci-fi, action, films cultes

Attendance: 11 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: John Landis, Eli Roth, Simon Pegg, Michael Biehn, Xavier Gens.

Official Website : torontoafterdark.com

Festival du film d'horreur et fantasy de Saint-Sébastien

Where? Saint-Sébastien, Espagne / First Edition : 1990 / Période : octobre-nov. / Genres : horreur, fantasy

Attendance: 10 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: xxx

Official Website : www.sansebastianhorrorfestival.com

Festival du film fantasy de Menton

Where? Menton, France / First Edition : 2017 / Période : octobre / Genres : fantasy

Attendance: 10 000 admissions prévus

Prestigious guests: Nicolas Duval , Réalisateur de la série TV "Urban Jungle" diffusé sur Studio +, Hervé Renoh, Réalisateur des long métrages "Requiem" et "Coursier" produit par Europacorp avec Michael Youn, Rebecca Finch, Eric Godon

Official Website : https://www.festival-film-fantasy.com

November

Trieste Science+Fiction

Where? Trieste, Italie / First Edition : 2000 / Période : November / Genres : sci-fi

Attendance: 15 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: John Landis, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Yuzna, Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Dario Argento, Jimmy Sangster, Lone Flaming, Paul Naschy, Curtis Harrington, Valerio Evangelisti, Ian Watson, Christiane Kubrick, Antonio Margheriti, Pupi Avati, John Philip Law, Alfredo Castelli, Moebius, Eugenio Martin, Ruggero Deodato, Lamberto Bava, Stefania Rocca, Isabella Santacroce, Marc Caro, Terry Gilliam e Joe Dante, Christopher Lee, Roger Corman, Ray Harryhausen.

Official Website : www.sciencefictionfestival.org

Décember

PIFFF / Paris International Fantastic Film Festival

Where? Paris, France / First Edition : 2011 / Période : December / Genres : fantasy

Attendance: 10 000 admissions

Prestigious guests: Christophe Gans, Jaume Balaguero, Roger Avary, Dario Argento, Alex de Iglesia, Richard Stanley, Xavier Gens, Pascal Laugier, Joseph Kahn, Julia Ducournau, Philippe Ridley, Bruno Forzani, Nicolas Boukhrief, Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Official Website : www.pifff.fr

This list will of course be enriched according to the information collected, do not hesitate to contact us to help us complete it.

Friendly The Mauvais Genres team Sources: official festival websites, EFFFF website: www.melies.org