Aside from its international competitions, FIFF offers each year six or seven sections which celebrate cinema from all around the world. Each section follows guidelines used each year such as Genre Cinema, New Territory or Sur la carte de... . In 2021, a new section appears: a section created by the audience of the Festival.
GENRE CINEMA - The classic genre interpreted by different cultures
FIFF 2021: Music!
The 2021 Genre Cinema section is dedicated to films about music, especially musicals but not only. This theme served as inspiration for the Festival poster – a subtle nod to the glamour and excitement of Broadway.
«Mali Blues», Lutz Gregor, 2016
CINÉMA DE GENRE: Audience Choice - The public chose five films out of fifty through a vote.
FIFF 2021: Music!
FIFF goes where practically no other film festival has gone before: in October 2020, the public had the opportunity to vote for the five music-themed films they wanted to see in FIFF’s brand new and pioneering Genre cinema: Audience Choice section. The five films which gathered the most votes will be on the silver screen in Fribourg in July 2021.
Pink Floyd: The Wall, Alan Parker, 1982
MAKE IT FAMILY TIME - The meeting for movie-loving families
In the past, FIFFamily was the name given to a handful of selected films shown during the Festival. But the public wanted to see more; FIFF heeded their call. FIFFamily has become a stand-alone section geared to audiences of all ages since 2020. Its programme promises to be a real treat for movie-loving families.
Africa United, Debs Paterson, 2010, FIFF21
DIASPORA - A celebrity recounts her/his culture of origin through cinema
FIFF 2021: La Gale (Karine Guignard), le Liban et la Palestine
On stage, the Swiss-Lebanese rapper Karine Guignard, aka La Gale, calls to mind the monster-battling Ripley from Alien. La Gale's foes are more insidious, and her weapon against demons like exile and the situation in Lebanon are her words. Backstage, the rage subsides but still her eyes burn bright with a passion for humanity. The rapper and actress (her performance in Sacha, an upcoming series on RTS, is said to be compelling) is above all a beautiful soul. Diaspora offers us a small window into this soul.
La Gale (Karine Guignard) © Matei Focseneanu
HOMMAGE À... – A celebration of cinematic history
FIFF 2021: History of Mexican Cinema by its Creators
This section was programmed in 2020. Because FIFF2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team decided to keep this section for the 2021 edition allowing FIFF to present an exceptionnal film history.
FIFF asked the biggest names working in Mexican cinema today to pick their top three Mexican films. Thirty or so directors kindly accepted, among them, Guillermo del Toro, Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas, Giovanna Zacharias and Arturo Ripstein. Their choices reveal the incredible diversity of Mexican cinema, while the rebellious, irreverent vein that runs through many of the films provides an illuminating insight into contemporary Mexican society.
Los Olvidados, Luis Buñuel, 1950
NEW TERRITORY - Discovery of a new or little-known cinematography
FIFF 2021: Rwanda
This section was programmed in 2020. Because FIFF2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team decided to keep this section for the 2021 edition so that we can honour the great young Rwandan cinema.
Rwanda is perhaps the country which best lives up to the ‘new territory’ appellation. A new generation of talented Rwandan film-makers are emerging and are propelling the growth of the country’s nascent film industry. The New Territory section will screen a selection of short and feature-length films, which will give visitors to FIFF 2020 the chance to witness this dynamism for themselves and hear from some of the gifted creatives behind these works.
Imfura, Samuel Ishimwe, 2017
SUR LA CARTE DE... - A well-known celebrity reveals her/his favourite films
FIFF 2021: Étienne Daho
How can you tell if a great musician also has great taste in films? With Étienne Daho, the clues are all there: actor and film composer (albeit briefly) and, above all, the cohesive visual universe he has created during his career. His albums over the past 40 years are a display not only of his musical talent, but also the incredible coherence of his choice of visuals. Entrusting him with a carte blanche has yielded a sublime and fascinating programme of films that dovetail beautifully with his own work.
Étienne Daho, Blitz, 2017 © Pari Dukovic
Special screenings and Events
Films of the International Jury - Our judges’ successful films
Passeport Suisse - Films made by Swiss directors or shot in Switzerland
Midnight Screenings - Not for the faint-hearted!
FIFForum - The FIFF: Not just screenings
