As a long-time supporter of the Philip K. Dick Film Festival, I’m pleased to share their latest press release with details for the next European festival to be held at the end of October 2020.
I posted a piece in February about one of the films that will be screened, American Quartet, which is a fantastic example of modern short-film making and a testament to the high standard of entries to the festival in general. You can also read an interview from earlier this year with festival founder, Daniel Abella.
PRESS RELEASE
The Philip K. Dick European Science Fiction Film Festival has announced the full lineup for its seventh annual season celebrating the legacy of novelist Philip K. Dick. The two-day live event held at the L’hybride theater in Lille, France will showcase films with a variety of themes including scientific and technological advancements, extraordinary events, and dystopian worlds from 30th to 31st October, 2020.
With a history of bringing independent science fiction film to Europe, the festival is proud to return to a city known for its creative achievements. “Lille has a rich culture deeply influenced by its appreciation for history and the arts, including science fiction writing,” said Daniel Abella, the founder and director of the event. “We are thrilled to screen films created by the most cutting-edge filmmakers who explore in detail the symbiosis between humanity and technology.”
Screenings begin on Friday, 30th October with a block of shorts that examine what it means to be human. The opening film is Erik Lee’s time-bending romance Wide Awake in Bridgewater about a man who rediscovers the love of his life fifty years after her disappearance. Following are the European Premieres of Adam Hayes’ 4D about a widow in Japan who attends a ceremony in an attempt to reunite with her deceased husband, and Jesca Prudencio’s American Quartet where a small town is bitterly divided over a young Muslim-American woman’s private digitized memories.
A second block of shorts investigates the nature of consciousness beginning with Identity directed by Panos Pappas and Despina Charalampous about a woman at an airport who deals with the horrific revelation that her face has changed. Other titles include the Continental European Premiere of Ben Alpi’s Hashtag which follows a popular social media star who goes to great lengths to keep her fame, Diego Mellogno’s Craneoplastia about a debt enforcer who questions his existence following an unexpected event with a mysterious stranger, and the European Premiere of Eamonn Murphy’s A Better You which delves into the dystopian neo-steampunk world of customizable carbon clones.
A lineup of films depicting unexplained encounters on Saturday, 31st October includes Heretic directed by Veselin Efremov about a future where humans merge with technology, and Best Game Ever directed by Kristóf Deák which follows two CCTV technicians whose jobs are threatened by an AI machine. The block will also screen the French Premiere of Tobias Bieseke’s Nucleus where a researcher has succeeded in using bacteria to synthesize a fluid that reveals a form of communication in carbon atoms, and the European Premiere of Hekla Egilsdottir’s adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story Beyond the Door about the influence of a peculiar cuckoo clock.
The night continues with several exclusive screenings that delve into the co-existence of man and machine. Opening the block is the World Premiere of Mario Brem’s The Plan that follows a wanderer and his zombie-like puppet. Further titles include the European Premieres of Michele Gurrieri’s Circular about a hermit who intends to create a man by the force of his dreams, and Carl Timms’ Off Grid where a man protects himself and his ill wife against supernatural forces.
The festival will also present the French Premieres of Jonathan Degrelle’s Transfert about a man sent to recover a strange mechanism in an alternative reality where the Germans won WWII, Erin Coates and Anna Nazzari’s Dark Water that explores family trauma in the tale of a woman who discovers an ocean within her house, and Charles de Lauzirika’s Love Bite which shows the ramifications of a couple’s deadly bet during a zombie apocalypse.
Through its lineup of innovative and thought-provoking films, Abella hopes that attendees relate to the significance of Philip K. Dick’s crucial body of work as society confronts the effects of a changing world:
“PKD offers a way for people to retain their dignity and humanity because his one central message is critical thinking,” he said. “We must always remain open to a different point of view and not let fixed ideological positions rob us of our capacity to empathize with the suffering of others.”
Passes to the festival are available beginning 15th October 2020 on L’hybride’s website
For more information visit:
https://www.philipkdickfilmfestival-europe.com
NOTE: The festival’s venue, L’hybride, follows France’s social distancing guidelines. Seating is at 1/3 capacity and the use of face masks is mandatory. Attendees must reserve their passes before the event.
