Neuchatel 2026 Daily: FISH, FISTS AND AMBERGRIS to EVIL DEAD BURN to IKATAN DARAH
After the wonders of opening day, what stands out today, Saturday, 4 July?
Fish, Fists and Ambergris jumps out because I remember that our own Ard Vijn reviewed it out of Rotterdam earlier this year: "A massive success in its home country of Vietnam, this was the kind of bone-crushing acrobatic jawdropper many festival-goers were waiting for. ... Is Fish, Fists, and Ambergris this year's Ong Bak? Maybe it is, and how happy does that make us all!"
We can all be jealous that Swiss audiences will get to see Evil Dead Burn tonight, ahead of its North American release next Friday. Here's the description: "A recent widow watches all her in-laws turn into demonic creatures. The latest chapter in Sam Raimi's cult saga is as terrifying as it is eagerly awaited."
Well, they say the family that turns into demonic creatures together stays together, so there's that.
Receiving its European premiere, Indonesian-language Ikatan Darah sounds like a corker: "Former martial arts champion Mega helps her debt-ridden brother escape the clutches of loan sharks. Sidharta Tata (Soul Reaper) returns to the NIFFF. Prepare for a fight."
In the Asian Competition is the Swiss premiere of My Daughter Is a Zombie, termed an 'undead coming-of-age' film. I love the image, and I love the synopsis: "Jung-hwan, an animal trainer at a zoo, sometimes struggles to understand his teenage daughter Soo-ah. When she turns into a zombie during a pandemic, he hides her away and tries to give her as normal a life as possible. A heartfelt comedy that became both a critical and commercial success for director Pil Gam-seong."
My sentimental-favorite pick is Michael Anderson's Logan's Run, starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter, and Richard Jordan. Emerging in 1976 -- one year before Star Wars -- I fell in love with the movie as a whole, even though it never made complete sense. (My love was amplified when I realized that parts of the movie were shot in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, near my current location.)
The synopsis, for those who haven't seen it: "In a futuristic society, Logan - tasked with hunting humans who refuse to die at the age of 30 in order to regulate the population - discovers the hidden truth behind this supposed utopia." Open yourself up to its cheesy, cheeky wonders.
See all the day's events right here, including many more films, shorts programs, a conference, and an exposition. So much!
As a reminder:
The Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, hereafter referred to as Neuchatel 2026, is "the only Swiss festival dedicated to genre films," per their official description. "The event is mainly devoted to a specific film genre: fantasy. This main theme is complemented by two others: digital creation and Asian cinema."
As one of eight official media partners, we are publishing daily guides to the program, with links to our reviews, where available. You can bookmark our Neuchatel 2026 page for all our updates this year. The festival will run from 3-11 July.
