De la Iglesia's The Last Circus kicks off 2011 BIFFF

In less than 24 hours Alex de la Iglesia's The Last Circus (Balada Triste de Trompeta) will officially kick off Belgium's arguably most important and definitely coolest film festival, the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival –or, to use the name that rolls more knowledgeably off the tongue, the BIFFF.
In its 29 years of existence, the BIFFF has established itself as one of Europe's main showcases for the genre's talent. Every year the festival packs a powerful punch of premieres, thus becoming a steppingstone for films seeking entree in the Belgian (or European) market. The real measure of the festival, however, is the frenzy of local support it has managed to gather. Its 60,000 viewers make it one of the biggest cultural events in the country.
True to form, the lineup at this year's festival spotlights some of the most anticipated recent films of the genre. For all its specificity, the BIFFF is a quintessentially eclectic event, where the latest film of a Lodz Film School legend (Jerzy Skolimowski's Essential Killing) and an episode of an American hit series (episodes 1 and 2 of True Blood's third season) cross each other without so much as looking at each other.
Understandably, the fest's biggest drawcards are kept for its opening and closing ceremonies. De la Iglesia's The Last Circus grabbed the directing and writing awards at last year's Venice Film Festival, while Gareth Edwards' shoestring budgeted Monsters has received kudos from critics since its release last year. Between these two films, the 2011 BIFFF offers up an impressive lineup of films from promising first-time directors (Andy Milton and Jesse Holland, Hou Chi-jan) and seasoned veterans (Skolimowski, John Carpenter).
Imitation of Life will cover the BIFFF (imitationlife.com/bifff11), which runs from April 7 to April 19, filling you in with daily festival reports, reviews and interviews.
Tomorrow, April 7, this pundit will head to Tour & Taxis, where the festival is held, well in advance of the opening ceremony, where director Alex de la Iglesia and actress Carolina Bang will present The Last Circus, to grab the press pass and to gauge the fest's atmosphere. There are a mere dozen films I have a prior knowledge of, so if you ask me which film I'm most looking forward to, I'll be cautious and do what any festival goer should do: wait and see.