Redefining Cinema: Anaïs Emery’s Vision at GIFF

With a commitment to narrative diversity, GIFF pushes the boundaries of traditional cinema, offering audiences a fresh perspective on storytelling across new formats. Anaïs Emery discusses the festival’s evolving role in championing innovative content, from its pioneering days to today’s tech-driven programming, and envisions a future where film, virtual reality, and interactive media coexist to enrich audience engagement.

Dany Niederhauser: For this 30th edition of the Geneva International Film Festival, how have you incorporated new technologies into the programming to complement traditional cinema formats?

Anaïs Emery: GIFF has always been deeply invested in showcasing various audiovisual formats. So, we’re quite active in seeking out the latest formats, and naturally, that led us into the realm of new image technologies. Actually, we don’t adhere to any particular tech ‘religion’ or impose technological limits on ourselves. We’re truly focused on what’s available for artists. This year, I think it’s especially remarkable that we’re featuring works generated with artificial intelligence, with artists approaching these technologies in thoughtful, complex ways. We’ve done this in the past, but never as prominently as this year, with THE GOLDENT KEY utilizing this technique. We’re also heavily featuring augmented reality. Additionally, all our virtual reality films and immersive experiences are presented under an ‘immersive’ label, which gives us the flexibility to explore new technologies as they emerge. For us, the priority is always the quality of the storytelling and the tools available to artists.

Dany Niederhauser: GIFF has always been at the forefront of narrative exploration. I’m thinking about last year’s Lesbian Gaze when you invited Iris Brey to the festival to present her series Split, and we had the chance to meet her then. Could you give us some concrete examples of what narrative exploration looks like in this year’s program?

Anaïs Emery: When we talk about innovation, it’s a broad term, right? And exploring new formats includes thinking about content as well. In the audiovisual field, especially now with streaming platforms, we’re exposed to highly formatted content. And it’s often content we’re not even familiar with because we don’t encounter it in traditional spaces. Festivals play a key role in highlighting this diversity and showcasing perspectives outside mainstream narratives. For example, bringing in the female gaze or stories from individuals outside traditional tropes is valuable for everyone. That’s how we approach our programming.

Dany Niederhauser: Some filmmakers, like Céline Sciamma, say that cinema is dying. But it seems like you have a more optimistic outlook with GIFF, focusing on evolution.

Anaïs Emery: Absolutely. People often ask, “Which technology will prevail?” “Is cinema dead?” “Is television dead?” I tend to see it more as an ecosystem. There’s cinema, there are series, virtual reality, and gaming; it’s all part of our world. Cinema as the dominant reference medium is a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s uninteresting or dead. Sciamma’s statement may highlight a stagnation due to repeated narratives and archetypes. People are simply tired of seeing the same stories. I’m fortunate to present a variety of films through GIFF, which keeps me optimistic.

Dany Niederhauser: Could you tell us about the Geneva Digital Market? How does it impact artistic creation and distribution, and what effects does it have on creators?

Anaïs Emery: The Geneva Digital Market has been running for twelve years. It’s an extensive platform with conferences for continuous learning, artistic, and economic case studies. We have two key platforms: one is dedicated to immersive works from Switzerland and Europe. We select fifteen works each year and bring financiers to Geneva to arrange custom meetings for potential funding. The other, Swiss Interactive Sessions, presents a broader range of completed digital works and invites international curators from institutions like Venice, Ars Electronica, Sonar, and Tribeca to engage with the artists. These meetings help them gain international exposure. Through this dual approach, we support both funding and global visibility. Historically, the GDM has facilitated success stories, helping works reach an international level. We’ve also been actively lobbying to include VR in new legislation and the development of Geneva’s digital hub, which funds immersive projects.

Dany Niederhauser: As the festival celebrates its 30th edition, what are the most significant changes you’ve observed in the industry since the beginning, and what’s your vision for GIFF’s future?

Anaïs Emery: GIFF’s history shows that, thirty years ago, we were the first to showcase TV films alongside cinema with equal respect, which was shocking back then. It was pioneering to treat different formats equally, and we’ve continued that tradition. Over time, TV films were largely replaced by the dynamic genre of series, and the festival has expanded its scope to include new technologies. We went from showcasing transmedia projects to focusing on web content, and now on immersive works like virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, as well as AI-generated art. This evolution has brought works that increasingly involve the audience, whether through immersion or interactivity. That’s the unique aspect of our programming, embracing the full spectrum of visual technology while maintaining a connection with the viewer.

Images courtesy of Mei Fa Tan