Historic

The idea came up during a round-table. The quest started with a sip of wine from the Holy Grail: how could we possibly salute the essential contribution of creation craftsmen to the movie industry without the poisoned gift of the retrospective, which would sound as if they were heading for an early grave? By knighting them, of course! The best way for the BIFFF to thank them is seeing how these stable boys become proud knights during a ceremony with lots of humor and zero pretence.     

Laureates

• 2005

Larry Cohen (screenwriter): Maniac Cop, Captivity, Phone Booth.

Dario Argento (director/screenwriter): Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Stendhal Syndrome.  

• 2007

Christopher Lloyd (actor): Back to the future I, II, III, The Addams Family I, II.

Lloyd Kaufman (actor/réalisateur) : Tromeo et Juliette, The Toxic Avenger.  

• 2008

Jurgen Prochnow (actor): Das Boot, Dune, In the mouth of madness, Air force one.

Stuart Gordon (director/screenwriter): Re-animator, Fortress, the Dentist, Stuck.    

Knights 2010   

Luc Besson

Friday 9 April: 20h00 - ceremony / 23h00 - Q&A

French director, screenwriter and producer, born in 1959. Credited as one of the pioneers of the Cinema du look movement: films with a slick visual style, about the alienated youth in Mitterand’s France. After spending most of his youth under water (his parents were scuba diving instructors), he showed remarkable talent with his stories Le Grand Blue and The Fifth Element, which he later made into feature films.

Lance Henriksen

Saturday 10 April: 22h00 - ceremony / 23h45 - Q&A

After a childhood around the world, young Lance studied at the Actor’s Studio and began his career in Broadway in the 70’s. At this moment, he got the opportunity to play in some films of Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon and Network). Truly a cult face in the science-fiction genre (Aliens, Alien³, Absolom 2022, The Terminator), he appears in various genres like western (The Quick and the Dead, Appaloosa), thriller (Color of Night) or even a cartoon (Tarzan). But, what’s most important, he gained success (and 3 Golden Globes) at the end of the 90’s through his famous role in Chris Carter’s cult serie: Millenium. It is the very first time we have the honor to welcome Lance Henriksen, and believe us, we are proud of it!

Harry Kümel

Saturday 17 April: 20h00 - ceremony / 21h45 - Q&A

The great Harry Kümel, who is doctor in demonology and the occult at the Academy of Pataphysics will be present at the festival. Mostly know for his adaptation of Malpertuis (1972) by Jean Ray, with the famous Orson Welles and Michel Bouquet, Kümel provided his contribution to the domain of the fantastic film with the film Daughters of Darkness (1971) with Delphine Seyrig in the role of the bloodthirsty Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory. Harry Kümel also directed five episodes of the Série rose, an erotic television show which retells libertine stories from literary works from the 18th century up to now. In 1991 he directed his last film, an academic adaptation of Eline Vere, based on the novel by Louis Couperus.