From October 23 to 26, 2025, the 9th edition of the Menton International Fantastic Film Festival will take place at the Palais de l’Europe. The event will bring together directors, actors, and technicians from France and beyond with a program rich in emotions and imagination.
For four days, Menton will host cinema in all its fantastic forms. The International Fantastic Film Festival, created by Fabrice Ceccherini, returns for a ninth edition. “Immerse the audience for four days in a universe where the fantastic, science fiction, and imagination reign supreme,” is the promise of the organizers.
This edition will highlight thirty short films and three very short films from several European countries. Each film will be screened in its original version, subtitled in French or English.
The event will take place at the Palais de l’Europe, a stone’s throw from the sea. Beyond screenings, the festival aims to “create synergy between cinema, television, and the public.” An ambition that comes with a clear intent: to support genre cinema and promote the region as a destination for film shoots.
Lou Amara to open the festival
At just 23 years old, Lou Amara will open the Festival starring in the film The Wind Rises by Mickeal Abbate. The Niçoise actress is establishing herself as one of the promising faces of French cinema through her involvement in ambitious projects. She was notably seen in the series “Parallel” by Benjamin Rocher and Jean-Baptiste Saurel (Disney+) and the feature film “Lamb” by Marie Cheyenne Carron (Canal +, Ciné+) released in spring 2025.
On Thursday, October 23, the municipal library will host a free public conference. Fabrice Ceccherini will kick off the exchanges with a presentation on the festival’s organization. This will be followed by a meeting with the jury members and a speech by Fabien Boccard on financing cultural projects.
That same evening, the audience will attend the official opening and the first screenings. Five short films will be featured: Hearts of Stone by Tom Van Avermaet (Belgium), Zero Tolerance by Ambroise Michel, Two Kings by Eliot Hervier Blondel, Impure by Xavier Mesme, and The Wind Rises by Mickael Abbate and Chris Conti.
The screenings will continue until Sunday, October 26, with an international selection: French, British, Luxembourgish, Italian, and Spanish works. Spectators will notably be able to discover Stalker by David Cholewa, Selvedge by Aleksandra Czenczek, Scraps by Nilton Martins, and The Shortest Day of the Year by Karlos Alastruey and Ifigenia Dimitriou.
Each session will be an opportunity for exchanges with the teams, with directors present “accompanied by at least one team member.”
Two moments will be reserved for accredited participants: the film meetings on October 24 and 25. These exchanges aim to create a professional dialogue space around independent creation and new forms of storytelling.
On Sunday, the event will conclude with the screening of winners from previous editions – The Chest by Tanneguy O’Mehara, The Bottle by Xavier Mesme, Grilled by Thomas Scohy, Golden Shopping Arcade by Skino and Neri Ricci, and Aeternam by Alexandre Ciolek – followed by the 2025 awards ceremony.
The awards will include eight categories: best short film, best very short film, best actor, best actress, best screenplay, best music, young jury prize, and audience prize.
A jury focused on diversity and rigor
The jury will bring together four professionals from varied backgrounds. Bruno Richaud, a director known for his work on Tomorrow Is Ours and Fort Boyard, will offer his perspective as a technician and visual storyteller. Antoine Coesens, an actor familiar with the small screen, embodies the continuity between theater and television. Derek Robin, a Franco-Swiss actor seen in The Bonfire of Destiny and Broute, represents a new generation of actors navigating between cinema, series, and stage. Finally, Guillaume Levil, screenwriter and director, co-author of the short film The Red Suitcase nominated for the 2023 Oscars, will advocate for the screenplay’s role as the engine of fantastic storytelling.
This composition reflects the festival’s ethos: combining professional rigor and openness to the imaginative. For Fabrice Ceccherini, festival president and producer, it is above all a meeting place for creators and spectators.
The public will be able to access screenings for €6 per projection, or choose a festival pass for €21. Reservations are open on the festival’s official website: www.festival-film-fantastique.com
