Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein). During this episode we talk about everyone's favourite film social media platform Letterboxd. What does Letterboxd mean for the community? We also create Seth's Hooptober 12 Challenge list of films live on air!
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
1:08 - What Did We Watch Recently?
19:09 – A Tentacular Touch: Programme & Trailer
20:10 – What is Letterboxd?
23:57 – Letterboxd as a Social Media Platform
25:00 – Uwe Boll's Delusional Letterboxd
26:53 – Our Favourite Letterboxd Users
28:16 – What Kind of Reviews We Like & Write
33:15 – The Genre film Community on Letterboxd: Hooptober
35:46 – Making Seth's Hooptober List & Discussing Elina's Hooptober List
The Funhouse (1981) by Tobe Hooper
Braindead (1992) by Peter Jackson
Night of the Dead (1968) by George A. Romero
[REC] (2007) by Paco Plaza & Jaume Balagueró
Prince of Darkness (1987) by John Carpenter
Black Sheep (2006) by Jonathan King
Noroi: The Curse (2005) by Koji Shiraishi
Society (1989) by Brian Yuzna
Digging Up the Marrow (2014) by Adam Green
Martyrs (2008) by Pascal Laugier
Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock
The Long Walk (2025) by Francis Lawrence
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) by John Harrison
Fear Street: 1994 (2021) by Leigh Janiak
The Mist (2007) by Frank Darabont
Night of the Comet (1984) by Thom Eberhardt
Blade (1998) by Stephen Norrington
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) by Ariane Louis-Seize
Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (1979) by Grigori Kromanov
Cat People (1942) by Jacques Tourneur
The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973) by Wojciech Jerzy Has
Frogs (1972) by George McCowan
Onibaba (1964) by Kaneto Shindo
All the Colors of the Dark (1972) by Sergio Martino
Doctor X (1932) by Michael Curtiz
The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Victor Fleming
Braindead (1992) by Peter Jackson
Dawn of the Dead (1978) by George A. Romero
Black Sheep (2006) by Jonathan King
Versus (2000) by Ryûhei Kitamura
Premutos: The Fallen Angel (1997) by Olaf Ittenbach
Noroi: The Curse (2005) by Koji Shiraishi
Martyrs (2008) by Pascal Laugier
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) by Don Siegel
Clown in a Cornfield (2025) by Eli Craig
Jaws (1975) by Steven Spielberg
Rosemary’s Baby (1968) by Roman Polanski
A Quiet Place (2018) by John Krasinski
The Mist (2007) by Frank Darabont
Nope (2022) by Jordan Peele
Tigers are Not Afraid (2017) by Issa López
eXistenZ (1999) by David Cronenberg
Viy (1967) by Georgi Kropyachyov & Konstantin Ershov
The Wolf Man (1941) by George Waggner
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) by Wes Craven
The Birds (1963) by Alfred Hitchcock
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) by Robert Wiene
The Blob (1988) by Chuck Russel
All the Colors of the Dark (1972) by Sergio Martino
The Mummy (1932) by Karl Freund
The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Victor Fleming
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) by Tobe Hooper
Black Swan (2010) by Darren Aronofsky
Confessions (2010) by Tetsuya Nakashima
Helter Skelter (2012) by Mika Ninagawa
Häxan (1922) by Benjamin Christensen
Mentioned in 'What Did We Watch Recently':
Fear Street Trilogy (2021) by Leigh Janiak
Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) by Matt Palmer
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) by David Blue Garcia
The Grudge (2004) by Takashi Shimizu
The Botanist (2025) by Jing Yi
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) by Stanley Kubrick
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Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Artwork: Anna Kallos
Music: Benjamin De Murashkin - Can You Imagine (The Juniors Theme)
Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein). During this episode we talk about the new wave of straight to streaming films. What are the downsides? What are the upsides? We also talk in detail about War of the Worlds (2025), The Killer and Get Duked!.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro & Imagine Talk
2:35- What Did We Watch Recently?
14:32– War of the Worlds & Ice Cube
24:11– History of Straight to Streaming: Netflix & The First Movie on the Internet
28:47– Straight to Streaming Films: The Bad
43:03 – How Do These Movies Make Money?
52:15– Straight to Streaming Films: The Downsides & the Upsides
01:01:26– Outro (feat. Trashy Shark Flicks)
Films Mentioned:
War of the Worlds (2025) by Rich Lee
War of the Worlds (2005) by Steven Spielberg
Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees (1991) by David Blair
E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind (1984) by Robert Hegyes
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) by Michael Chaves
Get Duked! (2019) by Ninian Doff
Cam (2018) by Daniel Goldhaber
The Invisible Raptor (2023) by Mike Hermosa
Madame Web (2024) by S.J. Clarkson
Morbius (2022) by Daniel Espinosa
Kraven the Hunter (2024) by J.C. Chandor
Birdbox (2018) by Sussane Bier
The Old Guard (2020) by Gina Prince-Bythewood
The Electric State (2025) by Joe & Anthony Russo
Crumbs (2015) by Miguel Llansó
Borderlands (2024) by Eli Roth
Enola Holmes (2020) by Harry Bradbeer
Damsel (2024) by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Holland (2025) by Mimi Cave
Don't Worry Darling (2022) by Olivia Wilde
The Killer (2023) by David Fincher
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) by Joel & Ethan Coen
Fargo (1996) by Joel Coen
No Country for Old Men (2007 by Joel & Ethan Coen
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) by Charlie Kaufman
The Call (2020) by Lee Chung-hyun
Revelations (2025) by Yeon Sang-ho
Wall to Wall (2025) by Kim Tae-joon
Sharks in Venice (2008) by Danny Lerner
Under Paris (2024) by Xavier Gens
Ninja vs. Shark (2023) by Koichi Sakamoto
The Shark Exorcist (2015) by Donald Farmer
Sharktopus (2010) by Declan O'Brien
Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (2014) by Emile Edwin Smith
Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf (2015) by Kevin O'Neill
Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (2014) by Kevin O'Neill
Mentioned in 'What Did We Watch Recently':
Ran (1985) by Akira Kurosawa
Kagemusha (1980) by Akira Kurosawa
Caught Stealing (2025) by Darren Aronofsky
The Roses (2025) by Jay Roach
Weapons (2025) by Zach Cregger
Barbarian (2022) by Zach Cregger
Together (2025) by Michael Shanks
From Beyond (1986) by Stuart Gordon
Re-Animator (1985) by Stuart Gordon
Dagon (2001) by Stuart Gordon
War of the Worlds (2025) by Rich Lee
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Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Artwork: Anna Kallos
Music: Benjamin De Murashkin - Can You Imagine (The Juniors Theme)
Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein). During this episode we talk about the Horror subgenre of Found Footage and its origins, tropes and subgenres of found footage, some of the essential watches, like The Blair Witch Project, [REC] and Creep.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:45 - What Did We Watch Recently?
9:50 – The Origins of Found Footage: Cannibal Holocaust, The Blair Witch Project & Orson Welles
14:40 - The Difference Between Found Footage & Mockumentaries
18:10 – Cloverfield
19:45 – The Screen Recording Subgenre: Unfriended, Host & Spree
26:22 – The Ghost Hunter Subgenre: Grave Encounters, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum & Hell House LLC
34:26 - [REC] & the Motivation to Keep Filming
Films Mentioned:
Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Ruggero Deodato
The Blair Witch Project (1999) by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez
The Other Side of the Wind (2018) by Orson Welles
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) by Rob Reiner
What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Jemaine Clement & Taika Watiti
Megan is Missing (2011) by Michael Goi
Cloverfield (2008) by Matt Reeves
Unfriended (2014) by Levan Gabriadze
Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) by Stephen Susco
Host (2020) by Rob Savage
Mayhem (2017) by Joe Lynch
Spree (2020) by Eugene Kotlyarenko
Grave Encounters (2011) by Stuart Ortiz & Colin Minihan
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) by Jung Bum-shik
Hell House LLC (2015) by Stephen Cognetti
[REC] (2007) by Pasco Plaza
As Above, So Below (2014) by John Erick Dowdie
Creep (2014) by Patrick Brice
Mentioned in 'What Did We Watch Recently':
Mamma Mia! (2008) by Phyllida Lloyd
Shaun of the Dead (2004) by Edgar Wright
There Are Monsters (2013) by Jay Dahl
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Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Artwork: Anna Kallos
Music: Benjamin De Murashkin - Can You Imagine (The Juniors Theme)
Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein). During this episode we talk about the Alien series, M. Night Shyamalan and even more alien horror.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - What Did We Watch Recently?
7:10 - Alien vs. The Thing
18:40 - Aliens
26:00 - Signs (& M. Night Shyamalan)
39:12 - Event Horizon
45:29 - AVP: Alien vs. Predator (& Aliens vs. Predator Requiem)
Films Mentioned:
Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott
The Thing (1982) by John Carpenter
Aliens (1986) by James Cameron
Signs (2002) by M. Night Shyamalan
Unbreakable (2000) by M. Night Shyamalan
The Sixth Sense (1999) by M. Night Shyamalan
Split (2016) by M. Night Shyamalan
Glass (2019) by M. Night Shyamalan
The Visit (2015) by M. Night Shyamalan
The Village (2004) by M. Night Shyamalan
Creepshow (1982) by George A. Romero
Event Horizon (1997) by Paul W. S. Anderson
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) by Paul W. S. Anderson
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) by Colin & Greg Strause
Mentioned in 'What Did We Watch Recently':
Mamma Mia! (2008) by Phyllida Lloyd
Dancing With the Birds (2019) by Hugh Cordy
Motel Destino (2024) by Karim Äinouz
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Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Artwork: Anna Kallos
Music: Benjamin De Murashkin - Can You Imagine (The Juniors Theme)
Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein). During this episode we talk about Club Imagine June, the interesting dilemma of hyperfixations and our disagreements on both I Saw the Devil and Final Destination.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:31 - Club Imagine
12:20 - Hyperfixations
28:05 - What Did We Watch Recently?
53:55 - Outro
Films Mentioned:
- Plein Soleil (Purple Moon, 1960) by René Clément
- Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature (2024) by Léo Favier
- Harvest (2024) by Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Kind (2025) by Jan Verdijk
- Bring Her Back (2025) by Michael & Danny Philippou
- U Are the Universe (2024) by Pavlo Ostrikov
- Clown in a Cornfield (2025) by Eli Craig
Mentioned in "What Did We Watch Recently":
- Jurrasic World Rebirth (2025) by Gareth Edwards
- Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) by Jim Jarmusch
- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) by Jim Jarmusch
- I Saw the Devil (2010) by Kim Jee-woon
- Final Destination (2000) by James Wong
TV-Series Mentioned:
- Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
- Stranger Things (2016-2025)
- Steins;Gate (2011)
- Steins;Gate 0 (2018)
Books Mentioned:
- Clown in a Cornfield (2020) by Adam Cesare
- A Game of Thrones (1996) by George R.R. Martin
Video Games Mentioned:
- Steins;Gate (2009)
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Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Artwork: Anna Kallos
Music: Benjamin De Murashkin - Can You Imagine (The Juniors Theme)
THE JUNIORS IS COMING 16 JULY 2025!
Presenting The Juniors: An Imagine Fantastic Film Festival Podcast which will dive into the world of fantastic media, behind the scenes titbits and controversial film opinions. Hosted by the junior programmers, Seth Verhaart (@sethverhaart) & Elina Meinerte (@eliina.mein).
The first recording of the podcast went as well as you could expect, disastrous. To keep you on your toes until the first episode releases July 16th, we decided to lift the veil a little into our recording process.
Credits:
Hosts: Seth Verhaart & Elina Meinerte
Editor: Seth Verhaart
Producer: Seth Verhaart
Executive Producer: Rabia Sitabi Stigter
Music: Kevin McLeod - In The Hall of the Mountain King
In Re:Imagining 1984, Imagine Fantastic Film Festival goes beyond the dystopian diagnoses of George Orwell, inviting a wide array of voices to a speculative discussion about the viable alternatives for our futures. Over the span of two prerecorded episodes and one live public podcasting session during the festival, we try to escape the binary opposition between Utopias and Dystopias by closely following the the works featured at the festival.
Credits Hosts: Kiko Morah, Stanislaw Liguzinski
Guests: Merel Hogerheijde, Sammy Shefa Idris, Robin Noorda, Joep Gerrits
Producer: Inez de Coo
Editor: Tom Ooms
Music: TeknoAxe
In Re:Imagining 1984, Imagine Fantastic Film Festival goes beyond the dystopian diagnoses of George Orwell, inviting a wide array of voices to a speculative discussion about the viable alternatives for our futures. Over the span of two prerecorded episodes and one live public podcasting session during the festival, we try to escape the binary opposition between Utopias and Dystopias by closely following the works featured at the festival.
Credits
Hosts: Kiko Morah, Stanislaw Liguzinski
Guests: Peet Gelderblom, Christopher Noessel, Hugh Fisher
Producer: Inez de Coo
Editor: Tom Ooms
Music: TeknoAxe
Special Thanks: Berend van Eerden, Mark Fonseca Rendeiro
Interview Peet Gelderblom:
Films referenced:
Remaking Fear: Evolution of the Body Snatchers - Peet Gelderblom, 2018: https://vimeo.com/260659837
Dystopia in Denial: The Future According to 1984 - Peet Gelderblom, 2024
1984 - Michael Radford, 1984
The Goonies - Richard Donner, 1985
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Steven Spielberg, 1984
Romancing the Stone - Robert Zemeckis, 1984
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Terry Gilliam, 1999
Velvet Goldmine - Todd Haynes,1998
The Matrix - Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, 1999-2003
Nausicaä, Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki, 1984
Tomorrowland - Brad Bird, 2015
The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan, 2008
The Batman - Matt Reeves, 2022
Se7en - David Fincher, 1995
Minority Report - Steven Spielberg, 2002
Pleasantville - Gary Ross, 1998
Back to the Future Part II - Robert Zemeckis, 1998
The Apprentice - Ali Abbasi, 2024
Starship Troopers - Paul Verhoeven, 1997
Total Recall - Paul Verhoeven, 1990
Total Recall - Len Wiseman, 2012
Showgirls - Paul Verhoeven, 1995
Books referenced:
1984 - George Orwell, 1948
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley, 1932
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood, 1985
The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K. Le Guin, 1971
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973
Series referenced:
Batman, 1966-1968
Interview Christopher Noessel, Hugh Fisher:
Glossary:
FUI = Fantasy/Fictional User Interface
Films mentioned:
Alien vs Predator, Paul W. S. Anderson, 2004
Mission Impossible, Brian de Palma, 1996
Blade, Stephen Norrington, 1998
The Bourne Ultimatum, Paul Greengrass, 2007
Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard, 2012
Iron Man, Jon Favreau, 2008
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott,1982
Minority Report, Steven Spielberg, 2002
eXistenZ, David Cronenberg, 1999
Star Wars: A New Hope, George Lucas, 1977
Sword Fish, Dominic Sena, 2001
Johnny Mnemonic, Robert Longo, 1995
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968
Her, Spike Jonze, 2013
Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, 2010
Black Panther, Ryan Coogler, 2018
Doctor Strange, Scott Derrickson, 2016
My Favourite Martian, Donald Petrie, 1999
Aladdin, Ron Clements, John Musker, 1992
Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve, 2017
The Terminator, James Cameron, 1984
Warriors of Future, Yuen Fai Ng, 2022
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, 2023
Prometheus, Ridley Scott, 2012
Alien, Ridley Scott, 1979
Aliens, Ridley Scott, 1986
Idiocracy, Mike Judge, 2006
Dark Star, John Carpenter, 1974
Tron, Steven Lisberger, 1982
The Lord of the Rings, Ridley Scott, 2001-2003
A Trip to the Moon, George Méliès, 1902
Smoking Causes Coughing, Quentin Dupieux, 2022
Books mentioned:
Make it So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction - Nathan Shedroff, Christopher Noessel, Rosenfeld Media, 2012
Neuromancer, William Gibson, 1984
The Cuckoo’s Egg, Cliff Stoll, 1989
The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman, 2013
The Culture series, Iain M. Banks, 1987-2012
Maneki Neko, Bruce Sterling, 1998
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 1979-1984
Series mentioned:
Firefly, Josh Whedon, 2002-2003
Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, 1966-1969
Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, 2011-2023
The Boys, Eric Kripke, 2019-2024
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, John Lloyd, 1981
In Re:Imagining 1984, Imagine Fantastic Film Festival goes beyond the dystopian diagnoses of George Orwell, inviting a wide array of voices to a speculative discussion about the viable alternatives for our futures. Over the span of two prerecorded episodes and one live public podcasting session during the festival, we try to escape the binary opposition between Utopias and Dystopias by closely following the works featured at the festival.
Credits
Hosts: Kiko Morah, Stanislaw Liguzinski
Guests: Simon Perry, Jessica Norledge
Producer: Inez de Coo
Editor: Tom Ooms
Music: TeknoAxe
Special Thanks: Berend van Eerden, Mark Fonseca Rendeiro
Books referenced:
The Language of Dystopia - Jessica Norledge, Springer International Publishing, 2022
1984 - George Orwell, 1948
Utopia - Thomas More, 1516
The Machine Stops - E.M. Forster, 1909
The End of Men - Christina Sweeney-Baird, 2012
Red Clocks - Leni Zumas, 2018
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood, 1985
Transformations of Language in Modern Dystopias - David W. Sisk, 1997
VOX - Christina Dalcher, 2019
The Giver - Lois Lowry, 1993
Followers - Megan Angelo, 2020
The Circle - Dave Eggers, 2013
Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson, 1992
Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban, 1980
The Book of Dave - Will Self, 2006
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess, 1962 Reading Fictional Languages - Edited by Israel Noletto, Jessica Norledge, Peter Stockwell, Edinburgh University Press, 2023
Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin, 1984
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley, 1932
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury, 1953
V for Vendetta - Alan Moore, 1982
Films referenced:
1984 - Michael Radford, 1984
The Circle - James Ponsoldt, 2017
The Lord of the Rings - Peter Jackson, 2001-2003
The Hunger Games - Gary Ross, 2012
Fahrenheit 451 - François Truffaut, 1966
The Matrix - Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, 1999-2003
Equilibrium - Kurt Wimmer, 2002
Series referenced:
The Walking Dead - 2010-2022
The Handmaid’s Tale - 2016-2022
The Last of Us - 2023-now
Games referenced:
The Last of Us - Naughty Dog, 2013
Fahrenheit 451 - Telarium, 1985
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2023 podcast series explores the 2023 festival theme - Fantastic Alchemy. The series consists of four episodes, which correspond with 4 elements of alchemy that we find especially relevant to us nowadays - Narrative, Identity, Technology, and Substance. In this episode, we explore the topic of SUBSTANCE focusing on the materials that the alchemical process feeds off, and in particular the substance of film itself. We are joined by César Velasco Broca is a Spanish experimental filmmaker known for his highly eccentric works that fuse alchemical symbols with magic, and Karel Doing an independent artist, filmmaker and researcher who created a unique method of developing film using plants and photochemical emulsion called “phytography”.
IMAGINE PROGRAMME MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
- Phytography: The alchemy of plants and photographic emulsion workshop with Karel Doing | 29 October (LAB111 Kapel)
- Screening of the Cult Shorts Programme including: Alegrías Riojanas, dir. César Velasco Broca | 27 October (LAB111 2) & 29 October (LAB111 2) & 2 November (LAB111 2)
- The guided Tour of Alegrías Riojanas Exhibition hosted by César Velasco Broca | 29 October (LAB111 Downstairs)
- “The Magic of Alchemy” event at Allard Pierson Museum featuring the talk by Peter Forshaw, viewing of the alchemical texts from the collection, and including: Alegrías Riojanas, dir. César Velasco Broca | 22 October (Allard Pierson Museum)
- Screening of Vase De Noces + discussion with César Velasco Broca, dir. Thierry Zéno (Fantastic Alchemy: Substance) | 29 October (LAB111 2) & 31 October (LAB111 1)
Films
- Alegrías Riojanas (2023), dir. César Velasco Broca
- In Vivo (2021), dir. Karel Doing
- Dark Matter (2014), dir. Karel Doing
- Liquidator (2011), dir. Karel Doing
Books
- Jean Cayrol, Alain Resnais, Muriel, Edition du Seuil 1963
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2023 podcast series explores the 2023 festival theme - Fantastic Alchemy. The series consists of four episodes, which correspond with 4 elements of alchemy that we find especially relevant to us nowadays - Narrative, Identity, Technology, and Substance. In this episode, we explore the topic of TECHNOLOGY, which is perhaps one of the most tangible elements of alchemy for us today as it inspired many scientific innovations throughout centuries. We look specifically at films and VR works, which use technology to tame digital matter and channel it through the medium of storytelling to make emotionally resonant experiences. The episode features conversations with Norman Leto, a Polish filmmaker, and a digital alchemist in his own right, whose film Photon screens at Imagine, and a multidisciplinary artist Steye Hallema, whose latest VR piece Imaginary Friend is shown in the VR section of the festival.
IMAGINE PROGRAMME MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
- Screening of Photon + Extended Introduction, dir. Norman Leto (Fantastic Alchemy: Technology) | 28 October (LAB111 2) & 2 November (LAB111 2)
- The VR Exhibition (Virtual Alchemy), featuring:
The Imaginary Friend, dir. Steye Hallema
Gargoyle Doyle, dir. Ethan Shaftel
Origen, dir. Emilia Sánchez Chiquetti
Jailbirds, dir. Thomas Villepoux
All That Remains, dir. Craig Quintero
The First Ingredient: Tales from Soda Island - Ch.7
Flow, dir. Adriaan Lokman
- The Cinematic Visions of VR programme (films dedicated to VR technology):
The Lawnmower Man + Extended Introduction, dir. Brett Leonard (Virtual Alchemy: Immersion) | 29 October (Filmhallen 2) & 31 October (Filmhallen 2)
Strange Days + Extended Introduction, dir. Kathryn Bigelow (Virtual Alchemy: Embodiment) | 29 October (LAB111 1) & 1 November (LAB 111 1)
Brainstorm + Extended Introduction, dir. Douglas Trumbull (Virtual Alchemy: Interaction) | 28 October (Filmhallen 2) & 1 November (LAB 111 1)
Nirvana + Extended Introduction, dir. Gabrielle Salvatores (Virtual Alchemy: Onboarding) | 28 October (LAB111 2) & 3 November (LAB111 1)
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Films
- Photon (2017), dir. Norman Leto
- The Lawnmower Man (1992), dir. Brett Leonard
- Strange Days (1995), dir. Kathryn Bigelow
- Nirvana (1997), dir. Gabrielle Salvatores
- Brainstorm (1983), dir. Douglas Trumbull
VR Works
- The Imaginary Friend (2023), dir. Steye Hallema
- Wolves in the Walls (2019), dir. Pete Billington
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2023 podcast series explores the 2023 festival theme - Fantastic Alchemy. The series consists of four episodes, which correspond with 4 elements of alchemy that we find especially relevant to us nowadays - Narrative, Identity, Technology, and Substance. In this episode we explore the topic of IDENTITY. Contrary to modern science, in Alchemy there is no distinct separation between the the person performing the experiment and the object of the study. Both undergo the same process of transformation. To get a better sense of this process, and to also understand more about the founding principles of alchemy and its historical roots, we’re joined by Farânak Mirjalili, whose research falls at the intersection of Jungian psycho-spiritual alchemy and Spagyrics - the laboratory tradition of plant alchemy, and Corey Andrews, a historian and current PhD candidate at the center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the University of Amsterdam.
Hosted by Hugo Emmerzael and Stanislaw Liguzinski. Produced by Inez de Coo. Edited by Tom Ooms.
IMAGINE PROGRAMME MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
- “The Magic of Alchemy” event at Allard Pierson Museum featuring the talk by Peter Forshaw, viewing of the alchemical texts from the collection, and a short film programme | 22 October (Allard Pierson Museum)
- Screening of Eureka, dir. Nicolas Roeg (Fantastic Alchemy: Identity) | 26 October (FilmHallen 2) & 1 November (LAB111 2)
- Phytography: The alchemy of plants and photographic emulsion workshop with Karel Doing | 29 October (LAB111 Kapel)
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Books
- Carl Gustav Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, Routledge 1980 (+ numerous other editions)
- Isaac Baulot, Mutus Liber, Inne Garden Press 2010 (+ numerous other editions since 1677)
- Mary Anne Atwood, A Suggestive Inquiry Into the Hermetic Mystery: With a Dissertation on the More Celebrated of the Alchemical Philosophers, Being an Attempt Towards the Recovery of the Ancient Experiment of Nature, Taylor & Francis Ltd 2015 (+ numerous other editions)
- Herbert Silberer, Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts, Dover Publications 1971
- Mike A. Zuber, Spiritual Alchemy: From Jacob Boehme to Mary Anne Atwood, Oxford University Press 2021
- J.R.R Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings, Harper Collins 2014 (+ numerous other editions)
-M. E. Warlick, The Alchemical Feminine: Women, Gender and Sexuality in Alchemical Images, Fulgur Limited 2023
Films
- Eureka (1983), dir. Nicolas Roeg
- The Lion King (1994), dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2023 podcast series explores the 2023 festival theme - Fantastic Alchemy. The series consists of four episodes, which correspond with 4 elements of alchemy that we find especially relevant to us nowadays - Narrative, Identity, Technology, and Substance. In this episode we explore the topic of NARRATIVE, examining how the power of interpretation can transform its objects, and radically alter the way that we see and engage with the world around us. We’ll look into George Sluijzer’s 1988 masterpiece Spoorloos, arguably one of the greatest Dutch films ever made, and try to reframe it as a horror and alchemical text per se with the help of our guests - Karen Pinkus, a professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at Cornell University, and a British film critic and writer Christina Brennan.
Hosted by Hugo Emmerzael and Stanislaw Liguzinski. Produced by Inez de Coo. Edited by Tom Ooms.
IMAGINE PROGRAMME MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
-Screening of Spoorloos, dir. George Sluizer (Fantastic Alchemy: Narrative) | 28 October 2023 (LAB111) & 3 November 2023 (FilmHallen 2)
- Screening of Eureka, dir. Nicolas Roeg (Fantastic Alchemy: Identity) | 26 October (FilmHallen 2) & 1 November (LAB111 2)
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
Books
-Karen Pinkus, Alchemical Mercury: A Theory of Ambivalence, Stanford University Press 2009- Christina Brennan, Devil's Advocates: The Vanishing, Liverpool University Press 2024 (expected)
-Tim Krabbé, The Golden Egg (Dutch: Het Gouden Ei), various editions
-Giorgio Agamben, State of Exception, University of Chicago Press 2005
Films
-Spoorloos (1988), dir. George Sluizer
-The Vanishing (1993), dir. George Sluizer
-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), dir. Tobe Hooper