From 15th to 24th March 2024, the Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) takes over the decks with a spanking new compilation set of 100 films from 49 countries, including 5 world premieres, 5 international premieres, 5 European premieres and 40 Swiss premieres. The 38th edition celebrates 50 years of Hip-hop culture and offers the world's first major showcase of North Macedonian cinema. Franco-Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani and director Michel Gondry reveal their carte blanche picks, while Midnight Screenings keep the audience on the edge of their seats. There is also lots of family-friendly fare, as well as the Movie and a dinner event where the public can enjoy a meal at a local partner restaurant inspired by a film on the FIFF programme. The 38th edition, which will also travel to Bulle during the final weekend, is sure to have Fribourg and the capital of La Gruyère vibing to its beat.
The International Feature and Short Film Competitions are the centrepiece of FIFF and give pride of place to productions from every corner of the globe. Some entries have already garnered international acclaim at prestigious festivals such as Cannes and Venice: many others, especially this year, are lesser-known productions selected from submissions to FIFF's Call for Entries. Thierry Jobin, the Festival's Artistic Director, is thrilled at the 38th edition's film roster, "FIFF traditionally chooses films from countries where there is often little to laugh about. But it is encouraging to see that nearly half of the feature films in competition this year have real flashes of wit", adding, "Filmmakers react to the state of the world and adversity proves to be a powerful catalyst for creativity." As well as the often dark and edgy humour that runs through many of the films, the formal inventiveness of the competition entries is "absolutely breathtaking". Notable examples are the absurdist chronicle of everyday life in Day Tripper (China), the Moroccan road movie Déserts with an offbeat western feel, and the world premiere of Cuadrilátero, a dystopian tale of a Peruvian family with zero morals. These and other entries are reminiscent of the quirky cinematic universes created by the greats like Wes Anderson, Roy Andersson and even Jacques Tati. For Jobin, "This is proof, if proof were needed, that creativity in filmmaking knows no bounds. The 38th FIFF competition entries, which are mostly from Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, reveal the infinite capacity of irony, black humour and absurdity to set the spirit of transgression free."
The humorous vein is not the exclusive preserve of the FIFF competition entries. It is also present in the line-up of the New Territory section, which this year celebrates the filmmaking talents of North Macedonia. As well as their dark wit, the films in this section do not shy away from sensitive subjects and daring stylistic choices. Franco-Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, the curator of the Diaspora section, passes over the great classics of Iranian cinema in favour of six lesser-known productions from her homeland which she describes as "extraordinary and insane". Director Michel Gondry has used his carte blanche to put together a bold and joyous line-up of six films that would not be out of place in his own unique filmmaking universe of cinematic bricolage and experimentation. Finally, the Genre Cinema section celebrates Hip-hop culture, zeroing in on figures from the worlds of music, dance and street art who are often no strangers to irony and defiance. A case in point is French rappers NTM, who are the subject of Le Monde de demain, a six-part mini-series which will be shown in the Genre Cinema section.
The Make it Family Time section has lots of treats in store for kids aged 4 and over. They include the international premiere of the Chinese film Summer Diary (10+), a charming metaphorical odyssey follows a boy whose natural inquisitiveness leads him on a journey to the city in search of his mother. For the grown-ups who prefer movies that come with a generous helping of gore and adrenaline-filled action, FIFF's eagerly awaited Midnight Screenings section serves up a fair share of thrills and fantastical worlds created by experimental and risk-taking filmmakers. The audience can experience a massive earthquake (Concrete Utopia) in 4DX, savour a satire on the worst excesses of social media which sees a late-night livestream descend into a hellish nightmare (Dashcam), or revel in an apocalyptic tale with an environmental message that stars a zombified Mother Nature (In a Violent Nature). Nerves of steel and a cast-iron stomach required!
FIFF 2024 will launch in style on Friday 15th March with an edgy Hip-hop comedy from India. The satirical Dilli Dark tells the story a young Nigerian MBA student and the everyday racism he faces as he constructs a new life in New Delhi. A debut film that fizzes with energy and carries a universal message.
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