After Us, the Flood nominated for the Best European Fantasy Film
The Finnish feature After Us, the Flood, directed by Arto Halonen and written by Ossi Hakala, has been selected to compete for the title of best European fantasy film.
The most significant genre film festivals in Europe have each awarded one feature film with the Silver Méliès (Méliès d’Argent) Award. After Us, the Flood won the Silver Méliès at the Trieste Science+Fiction Film Festival in November 2024. This victory also qualified the film a nomination for the Golden Méliès (Méliès d’Or) Award – the top honor in European fantastic cinema.The Golden Méliès will be awarded at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, which is starting 9th October.
In addition to After Us, the Flood, the nominees for the Golden Méliès include Animale (France), The Home (Sweden), Mr. K (Netherlands), Her Will Be Done (France), The Ugly Stepsister (Norway), and The Holy Boy (Italy).
The Méliès Awards symbolize quality, creativity, and imagination. Named after Georges Méliès, the French pioneer of fantasy cinema and special effects, the awards were established in 1995.
The film has achieved success at international festivals
After Us, the Flood has quickly become a favorite on the international festival circuit, earning recognition and multiple awards at prestigious events worldwide.
In addition to its Silver Méliès win in Trieste, the film received the Best Feature Film Award at Norway’s Ravenheart International Film Festival, the Wild Goat – Best Feature Film Award in the international competition at Croatia’s Avant-Garde Horror & Fantasy Film Festival, and the Best Director Award at France’s Fantasy Film Festival.
During the autumn season, the film will be competing at several international festivals, including the Monsters – Fantastic Film Festival in Italy, the Histeria International Fantastic Film Festival in Costa Rica, the Science & Technology Film Festival in Poland, the LUSCA Fantastic Film Festival in Puerto Rico, and the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Nigeria – which is is regarded as one of the most important and respected film festivals on the African continent.
Earlier this year, After Us, the Flood impressed critics in Belgium at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), one of the world’s foremost genre film festivals.
After Us, the Flood is a compelling drama that travels through time to explore relationships, identity, greed and the reasons why humans haven't yet been able to stop climate change.
The film stars Elias Westerberg, Linnea Leino, Tuomas Nilsson, Kasperi Kola, Petteri Summanen, Antti Reini, Pihla Penttinen, Jari Salmi, Tobias Zilliacus, Jemina Sillanpää, Robert Enckell, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, and Paavo Westerberg.
The creative team includes cinematographer Pini Hellstedt, editor Armands Začs, production designer Teppo Järvinen, sound designer Jevgenijs Kobzevs, composer Jēkabs Nīmanis, costume designer Jaana Aro, and makeup designer Maija Gundare. The film is produced by Arto Halonen, with Aija Bērziņa from Latvia serving as international co-producer.
MÉLIÈS
https://melies.org/
BIFFF-REVIEWS (AFTER US, THE FLOOD):
Sébastien Rombout/Dans l´ombre du projecteur:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCCp_vblVXw
Par Loïc Smars Le Suricate (Films & Séries):
https://www.lesuricate.org/bifff-2025-jour-10-on-rentre-dans-le-endgame-du-bifff/
Cine Maniacs/Belgia:
https://www.cinemaniac.be/festival4.php?id=287
Laurent Gonel/Gonel Zone Revolution:
https://www.gonel-zone.fr/festivals/bifff/after-us-the-flood/
AFRICA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (NIGERIA)
https://www.afriff.com
5 AFRICAN FILM FESTIVALS YOU SHOULD KNOW –LIST
https://thecreativesnote.substack.com/p/5-african-film-festivals-you-should-know
LUSCA FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL (PUERTO RICO)
https://www.luscafilmfest.com
MONSTERS – FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL (ITALY)
https://monsterstarantohorror.com
HISTERIA INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL (COSTA RICA)
https://filmmakers.festhome.com/festival/histeria-festival-internacional-de-cine-de-terror-sci-fi-y-fantasia
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FILM FESTIVAL (POLAND)
https://sciencefilmfestival.pl
TRIESTE SCIENCE+FICTION FILM FESTIVAL (ITALY)
https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org/en/
BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL (BELGIUM)
https://www.bifff.net
RAVENHEART INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (NORWAY)
https://www.ravenheartfilmfestival.com/
AVANT-GARDE HORROR & FANTASY FILM FESTIVAL (CROATIA)
https://www.aghfff.com/about-aghfff-film-festival
FANTASY FILM FESTIVAL (FRANCE)
https://fantasyfilmfestivalofficial.com