The Festival du Film Merveilleux et Imaginaire was founded by Bénédicte Beaugeois, her brother Jeremy and her childhood friend Maureen Gerby. The festival team consists of young entertainment industry professionals from several countries who strive to help audiences realize that fantasy isn't a light genre for kids and that it is worthy of attention.
The festival is organized by the Talulah Association, a non-profit organization created by its founders. Alongside the Festival du Film Merveilleux et Imaginaire, the Association organizes a series of short and feature film screenings in Paris, film workshops and events dedicated to ecological awareness. In 2014 and 2015, the festival was held under the patronage of the French National Commission for UNESCO.
The Festival du Film Merveilleux et Imaginaire celebrates all things related to wonder and imagination such as dreams, magic, fairy tales, fables, legends, poetry, comics and manga, supernatural creatures, fantasy and science fiction, innovation, and storytelling. Its program is based on fantasy and science fiction short films. For example, in 2015 the festival screened 33 short films, including 23 films in the competition, 2 documentaries about oceans from the festival's partners, and 2 television series.
Alongside its official international film competition, the Festival du Film Merveilleux & Imaginaire hosts a series of special screenings and other film-related events. Some of its main highlights include Kaleidoscope (screenings and workshops for kids), Movies Around the World, Quart d'heure americain (a short film competition for American independent films), a digital art exhibition, workshops on film and digital art conducted by seasoned industry professionals, and more.
In 2021, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: festival-film-merveilleux.com
