# Imagine Film Festival

The Imagine Film Festival, formerly Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, also known as Imagine Fantastic Film Festival or simply Imagine, is an annual film festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The festival was created in 1991 with a focus mainly on fantasy and horror films.

## History

Imagine started out as the "Weekend of Terror". After several years, this weekend turned into a full-blown festival in 1991, titled the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (AFFF). It showed a wide array of international genre films, not just horror but also sci-fi, fantasy, martial arts and anime.
In 2004, the festival hosted the Golden Méliès Gala, awarding the best fantastic European films, in both, features and shorts categories.
In 2009, the festival got a new name: Imagine Film Festival. With the name change, the organization wanted to emphasize that the festival had become more focused on films that cannot be strictly defined as fantasy, horror or science fiction over the years.
In 2013, after many years based at the Kriterion, the festival chose the EYE Film Institute as its home base. During the years at Eye, the festival started adding VR experiences as well as games, under the flag of "Imagine Expanded", and extended its science programme.
In 2022, both the timing and the venues were changed: to the end of October instead of mid-April, and at two new base venues.

## Description

Imagine takes place at the end of October, at LAB111 and de Filmhallen.
The festival aims to acquaint both film lovers and the general public with a selection of new and classic films from genres such as fantasy, horror and science fiction. A large part of the program consists of genre films, exploitation films, cult films and obscure films, though the offerings have become increasingly diverse over the years.
The event is organised by the Foundation AFFF for no profit and receives subsidies from the Film Fund and the City of Amsterdam.

## Awards

The Imagine Time Capsule was awarded between 2010 and 2015. Other former awards include the Black Tulip Award, the VR Award, and the Lifetime / Career Achievement Award.
As of 2024, the prizes awarded at the festival are:
* Sea Devil Award, for best fantastic feature film
* Silver Méliès, for best fantastic European film; one for features and one for shorts
* Silver Scream Award, voted by the audience, all feature films (except classics) eligible

### Sea Devil Award

Formerly Black Tulip Award. In 2006, the jury prize was awarded in three categories but afterwards only in the category of best feature:
| Category | Film Title | Director |
| Best Feature 2024 | Rita | Jayro Bustamante |
| Best Feature 2023 | Tiger Stripes | Amanda Nell Eu |
| Best Feature 2022 | Ashkal | Youssef Chebbie |
| as Black Tulip Award |||
| Best Feature 2021 | History of the Occult | Cristian Ponce |
| Best Feature 2020 | The Mortuary Collection | Ryan Spindell |
| Best Feature 2019 | The Father's Shadow | Gabriela Amaral Almeida |
| Best Feature 2018 | Tigers Are Not Afraid | Issa López |
| Best Feature 2017 | Are We Not Cats | Xander Robin |
| Best Feature 2016 | Into the Forest | Patricia Rozema |
| Best Feature 2015 | Sunrise | Partho Sen-Gupta |
| Best Feature 2014 | Coherence | James Ward Byrkit |
| Best Feature 2013 | Wolf Children | Mamoru Hosoda |
| Best Feature 2012 | Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal | Boris Rodriguez |
| Best Feature 2011 | Bedevilled | Jang Cheol-soo |
| Best Feature 2010 | The Seventh Circle | Arpad Sopsits |
| Best Feature 2009 | Let the Right One In | Tomas Alfredson |
| Best Feature 2008 | Timecrimes | Nacho Vigalondo |
| Best Feature 2007 | The Bothersome Man | Jens Lien |
| Best Feature 2006 | Next Door | Pål Sletaune |
| Best Feature Debut 2006 | MirrorMask | Dave McKean & Neil Gaiman |
| Best Short 2006 | Doll Nr. 639 | András Dési & Gábor Móray |

### Méliès Awards

The Méliès Awards are an initiative of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (formerly European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation, or EFFFF), of which Imagine has been a member since 1996. Affiliated festivals each year grant two Silver Méliès Award during their festival, one for best fantastic feature, and one for best fantastic short. The winners then join the Méliès d'Or Award ceremony.
Amsterdam Méliès-winners:
| Year | Film Title | Director |
| 2024 | Mr. K | Tallulah H. Schwab |
| 2023 | Infested | Sébastien Vanícek |
| 2022 | Attachment | Gabriel Bier Gislason |
| 2021 | Censor | Prano Bailey-Bond |
| 2020 | Dogs Don’t Wear Pants | Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää |
| 2019 | O Beautiful Night | Xaver Xylophon |
| 2018 | The Place | Paolo Genovese |
| 2017 | Skins | Eduardo Casanova |
| 2016 | The Survivalist | Stephen Fingleton |
| 2015 | Liza, the Fox-Fairy | Károly Ujj Mészáros |
| 2014 | The Samurai [de] | Till Kleinert [de] |
| 2013 | The End | Jorge Torregrossa |
| 2012 | Sleep Tight | Jaume Balagueró |
| 2011 | Suiker | Jeroen Annokkeé |
| 2010 | Transmission | Roland Vranik |
| 2009 | Before the Fall | F. Javier Gutiérrez |
| 2008 | The King of the Mountain | Gonzalo López-Gallego |
| 2007 | Them | David Moreau & Xavier Palud |
| 2006 | Storm | Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein |
| 2005 | Calvaire | Fabrice du Welz |
| 2004 | The Green Butchers | Anders Thomas Jensen |
| 2003 | My Little Eye | Marc Evans |
| 2002 | The Devil's Backbone | Guillermo del Toro |
| 2001 | Heart of the Warrior | Daniel Monzón |

### Silver Scream Award

The Silver Scream Award is voted by the audience of the festival.
| Year | Film Title | Director |
| 2024 | Anora | Sean Baker |
| 2023 | The Boy and the Heron | Hayao Miyazaki |
| 2022 | Escape to the Silver Globe | Kuba Mikurda |
| 2021 | Alien on Stage | Lucy Harvey & Dannielle Kummer |
| 2019 | One Cut of the Dead | Shinchiro Ueda |
| 2018 | Isle of Dogs | Wes Anderson |
| 2017 | Get Out | Jordan Peele |
| 2016 | They Call Me Jeeg | Gabriele Mainetti |
| 2015 | Ex Machina | Alex Garland |
| 2014 | Jodorowsky's Dune | Frank Pavich |
| 2013 | The Battery | Jeremy Gardner |
| 2012 | The Raid | Gareth Evans |
| 2011 | The Perfect Host | Nicholas Tomnay |
| 2010 | Mary and Max | Adam Elliot |
| 2009 | Let the Right One In | Tomas Alfredson |
| 2008 | REC | Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza |
| 2007 | Adam's Apples | Anders Thomas Jensen |
| 2006 | Ordinary Man | Vincent Lannoo |
| 2005 | Kung Fu Hustle | Stephen Chow |
| 2004 | Tempus Fugit | Enric Folch |
| 2003 | Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki |
| 2002 | Donnie Darko | Richard Kelly |
| 2001 | Heart of the Warrior | Daniel Monzón |
| 2000 | Galaxy Quest | Dean Parisot |
| 1999 | eXistenZ | David Cronenberg |
| 1998 | Dark City | Alex Proyas |
| 1996 | From Dusk Till Dawn | Robert Rodriguez |
| 1995 | Dellamorte Dellamore | Michele Soavi |
| 1994 | Return of the Living Dead 3 | Brian Yuzna |
| 1993 | Braindead | Peter Jackson |
| 1992 | Akira | Katsuhiro Otomo |
| 1991 | The Silence of the Lambs | Jonathan Demme |
| 1990 | Nightbreed | Clive Barker |

### VR Award

In 2018, the inaugural VR Award was awarded to an eight-channel video Australian work called The Summation of Force, by filmmaker Matthew Bate and photographers Narelle Autio and Trent Parke.

### Lifetime/Career Achievement Award

The Lifetime/Career Achievement Award has been awarded to the following people:
* 2024 - Phil Tippett (Career Achievement Award)
* 2014 - Alejandro Jodorowsky (Career Achievement Award)
* 2013 - Neil Jordan
* 2012 - Stan Lee
* 2011 - Rutger Hauer
* 2010 - Dick Maas
* 2008 - Tim Burton (Career Achievement Award)
* 2007 - Terry Gilliam (Career Achievement Award)
* 2006 - Roger Corman
* 2005 - Ray Harryhausen
* 2005 - Paul Naschy
* 2004 - not awarded
* 2003 - Lloyd Kaufman
* 2002 - Paul Verhoeven
* 2001 - Dario Argento
* 2000 - Wes Craven

### Imagine Time Capsule

This prize was awarded for online entries between 2010 and 2015:
| Year | Film Title | Director |
| 2015 | We Love Robots | Bram Roza & Jurriaan Verdoold |
| 2014 | Looking for Laika | Thijs Molenaar & Laurens Roorda |
| 2013 | Monsterpop | Boriz Baatsen |
| 2012 | Mayan Prophecy | Geoffrey Cramm |
| 2011 | Under the Dress | Sasha Meijer |
| 2010 | The Vegan Vampire | Suzi Terror |