Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival
The Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival (LUFF) is a film festival and music festival devoted to underground film and music. It is held each year in Lausanne, Switzerland. The festival is organized by a non-profit organization (APCI – Association pour la Promotion de la Culture Indépendante). The organization's goals are to promote independent artistic projects and creations and to make those projects accessible to a large public. The primary goal of the Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival is to present films and music that largely exist outside the mainstream and profit driven production and distribution circuits. The cinematic section presents mainly films with an experimental character and/or films that challenge the spectator's viewing habits. Films are screened during the day and evening, followed by live music events featuring underground artists at night. Money prizes are awarded by the festival for the films selected in the international competition, in order to support the filmmakers in creating their art. The musical program of the festival proposes sonar experimentations of all kind.
During the four concert nights of the festival week, an average of twenty international and Swiss musicians and groups play in the Salle des Fêtes of the Casino de Montbenon, the neuralgic center of the festival. In 2012 the festival has considerably enlarged its off program (a wide artistic offer free of charge, evolving in parallel to the official program) which continues to grow ever since and participates largely to the festive and open character of the event.During the five days of the festival, its activities also expand to local venues such as the rock club Le Romandie, the independent movie theater Le Zinéma, the cultural venue La Datcha, the auditorium of the local music school EJMA as well as the book store and art gallery La Librairie Humus, the art gallery Standard Deluxe, the associative photo&cine laboratory on fait du l'art !, the independent movie theater Bellevaux and use to work with the café-théâtre le Bourg and the center for contemporary art Arsenic.The annual budget of the festival is of total value about 300.000 Swiss francs (270,000 euros).
== History of the festival ==
Originally called Underground Nights, the festival drew its inspiration from the New York Underground Film Festival. Through its initial, formative years, though, the LUFF developed its own unique program. Starting in its first year with a small screening room that could seat only 30 people, the festival managed to gather more than 1,000 spectators in 2000. In 2002, after a one-year hiatus, the festival moved to Lausanne with the support of the Swiss Film Archive, for the first official edition of the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival, drawing 4,000 spectators. By 2013, the festival has drawn around 8000 spectators. By programming an international short and feature films competition while still paying homage to great names of the underground like Nick Zedd, John Waters, Lloyd Kaufman, Ian Kerkhof, Kenneth Anger, Jai Love and the Kuchar brothers; and by organizing musical events featuring such artists as Jimi Tenor, Hanin Elias, Techno Animal, Chicks on Speed, Rhys Chatam, Pansonic and Alan Vega, the LUFF programming now stretches beyond the Swiss borders.
== Festival Editions ==
=== 2023: The Twenty-Second Edition ===
Took place from October 18 to 22, 2023, in Lausanne.
==== Film Awards 2023 ====
Best Feature FIlm : Hello Dankness, Soda Jerk, Australia, 2023
Best Short Experimental Films : Birth Proof, Alex Beriault, Germany, 2022 - ex-aequo with Terrifying Holes Compilation, Katherina Aae, Germany, 2021
Best Short Fiction Film : Dva, Alexandra Karelina, Russia, 2023
Best Short Animation Film : Tony’s Dilemma, Nathan Sonenfeld, U.S.A., 2023
Best Short Documentary Film : The Lighting, Chihying Musquiqui, Taiwan, 2021
Special Mention Short Documentary Film : Speed Date, Jan Soldat, Austria, 2023
=== 2022: The Twenty-First Edition ===
Took place from October 19 to 23, 2022, in Lausanne.
==== Film Awards 2022 ====
Best Feature Film : Jethica, Pete Ohs, U.S.A., 2022
Special Mention Feature Film: Beathing Happy, Shane Brady, U.S.A., 2022
Best Short Experimental Film: SileSilence, Jacques Perconte et Julien Desprez, France, 2022
Special Mention Short Experimental Film: Enthusiasm, OJOBOCA, Germany, 2022
Best Short Fiction Film : White Devil, Mariama Diallo, Benjamin Dickinson, U.S.A., 2021
Best Short Animation Film : Mui, Weng Chon Wong, Macao, 2021
Best Short Documentary Film : People enjoy my company, Frank Sweeney, Ireland, 2021
=== 2021: The Twentieth Edition ===
Took place from October 20 to 24, 2021, in Lausanne.
==== Film Awards 2021 ====
Best Feature Film : Sister Tempest, Joe Badon, U.S.A., 2020
Best Short Experimental Film : Axis of Aion, Takashi Makino & Manuel Knapp, Japan/Austria, 2019
Best Short Fiction Film : Bad Hair, Oskar Lehemaa, Estonia, 2019
Special Mention Short Fiction Film : Stuffed, Theo Rhys, United Kingdom, 2021
Best Short Animation Film : Ghost Dogs, Victoria Vincent, U.S.A., 2019
Best Short Documentary Film : Just A Guy, Shoko Hars, Germany, 2020
=== 2020: The Nineteenth Edition ===
Took place from October 14 to 18, 2020, in Lausanne.
==== Film Awards 2020 ====
Best Feature Film : Playdurizm, Gem Deger, Czech Republic, 2020
Best Short Experimental Film : Hitting My Head on the World, Anna Vasof, Austria, 2019
Best Short Fiction Film : Museum of Fleeting Wonders, Tomás Gómez Bustillo, U.S.A., 2020
Best Short Animation Film : Deep Love, Mykyta Lyskov, Ukraine, 2019
Best Short Documentary Film : Isle of Tears, Boudai12, Hong Kong, 2019
=== 2016: The Fifteenth Edition ===
Took place from October 19 to 23, 2016, in Lausanne.
=== 2015: The Fourteenth Edition ===
Held from October 14 to 18 2015, it has attracted around 13'000 spectators during the five days of film screenings and four concert nights. Among the retrospective programs one dedicated to filmmaker Jeff Perkins presented his Movies for the Blind, a series of intensive recordings of interviews with passengers in his yellow cab from 1995 to 2002.
==== Film Awards 2015 ====
2015 - Best Feature Film: Felt by de Jason Banker
2015 - Best Short Fiction Film: Notre dame des hormones by Bertrand Mandico
2015 - Best Experimental Short Film: Rearranged by Ewa Górzna
2015 - Best Short Animation: Pandemonio by Valerio Spinelli
2015 - Best Short Documentary: Then Then Then by Daniel Shioler
==== Music line-up 2015 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Ecoute la merde
Jacob Kirkegaard plays Else Marie Pade,
Anti-Ensemble: Imperial Dissolution
Liturgy
Jim Haynes
===== Thursday =====
Nicolas Collins
C. Spencer Yeh
Marcus Schmickler
Pedestrian Deposit
Mei Zhiyong
Denis Rollet
===== Friday =====
Neutral
Katsura Mouri
Menace Ruine
Sissy Spacek
Lumisokea
===== Saturday =====
e:ch feat. JinniL
Sin:Ned feat. Laurent Valdès
Maria Chavez
Headwar
Extreme Precautions
Sly & The Family Drone
=== 2014: The Thirteenth Edition ===
Was held from 15 to 19 October 2015.
==== Film Awards 2014 ====
2014 – Best Feature Film: Buzzard by Joel Potrykus, 2014, USA
2014 – Best Short Fiction Film (ex aequo): The Voice Thief by Adan Jodorowski, 2013, CHI, FRA, USA.
2014 – Best Short Fiction Film (ex aequo): Straight to Video by Elizabeth Vazquez, 2013, USA
2014 – Best Experimental Short Film: Kudryavka Little Ball of Fur by Pikku Kippura, 2013, FIN
2014 – Best Short Animation: Wawd Ahp, Stephen Girard, 2013, USA
==== Music line-up 2014 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Morton Subotnick
Gordon Monahan: Speaker Swinging
Keith Fullerton Whitman & Mark Fell
Cédric Dambrain
===== Thursday =====
Bryan Lewis Saunders & John Duncan
Tetsuo Furudate
Aaron Dilloway
Robert Curgenven
Les Belles Noiseuses
===== Friday =====
Dalglish
Winter Family
Mohammad
Cadaver Eyes
G*Park
===== Saturday =====
Mario de Vega
Cobra
Dustbreeders & Junko
Black Zenith
Kuro Pipe
=== 2013: The Twelfth Edition ===
The twelfth edition of the festival (October 16 to 20 2013) featured a total of 98 films. Retrospective programs featured works by Japanese surrealist filmmaker Katsu Kanai, French actor-filmmaker Pierre Clémenti, French punk author, musician and filmmaker F. J. Ossang, Russian independent filmmaker Andrey Iskanov, Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk and Belgian filmmaker Marcel Broodthaers as well as a carte blanche program to Jello Biafra. The international film competition included five feature films and 18 short films. The music part included 24 concerts for the total of four concert nights. The program presented sets by artists such as Emptyset, Endon, The Haxan Cloak, Vomir, Kracoon, Sugar Craft, Sajjanu, Jello Biafra, Fen (Far East Network: Otomo Yoshihide, Ryu Hankil, Yuen Chee Wal, Yan Jun), Nate Young, Blackphone666, Aluk Todolo, Jason Lescalleet, JG Thirwell, Bryan Lewis Saunders, Leif Elggren, Jean-François Laporte, Evil Moisture, Smegma, Nicolas Bernier & Martin Messier, Kiko C. Esseiva and DJ Nozinja. A total of 58 artists (musicians and filmmakers) were present during the five days of the festival to present their works.
The twelfth edition of the Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival also proposed a range of workshops, aiming to introduce spectators to new or little known artistic techniques. The five workshops were held by artists such as the South-African group Shangaan Dance, Japanese decoupage artist Kosuke Kawamura, Canadian experimental musician Jean-François Laporte, Japanese noise musician Endon and French musician and artist Andy Bolus.
The program of the festival also included an off part featuring the festival's own radio station (LUFF.FM), expositions and various artistic performances all through the five days of the festival.
==== Film Awards 2013 ====
2013 – Best Feature Film: Worm by Andrew Bowser
2013 – Best Short Fiction Film: Fist of Jesus by David Munoz
2013 – Best Experimental Short Film: Autoportrait: Presto con Amore by Martin Messier
==== Music line-up 2013 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Nozinja
Jean-François Laporte Rust
Kiko C. Esseiva
Nicolas Bernier & Martin Messier la chambre des machines
Smegma & Kosuke Kawamura
Evil Moisture
Jean-François Laporte Mantra
===== Thursday =====
Leif Elggren
Bryan Lewis Saunders
JG Thirlwell (Foetus):Cholera Nocebo
Jason Lescalleet
Aluk Todolo
Blackphone666
===== Friday =====
Nate Young
FEN
Jello Biafra & Ravi Shardja & Anton Mobin
Sajjanu
Sugarcraft
===== Saturday =====
Vomir
The Haxan Cloak
ENDON
Emptyset
=== 2012: The Eleventh Edition ===
For the eleventh edition of the festival (October 17–21, 2012) John Waters was invited to present his one Man show This Filthy World, a vaudeville act that celebrates his film career and obsessional tastes, and to present a retrospective of four of his early films as well as a selection of four of his favorite films. Other retrospectives included works by Austrian filmmaker and writer Christoph Schlingensief, Richard Stanley and Dutch provocateur Edwin Brienen. The international competition included five feature films and 28 short films. 21 musical performances were held during the four concert nights, featuring artists such as Pain Jerk, Brutal Truth, Fat32, rm, Blectum From Blechdom, Kim Gordon, Bill Nace, Maja S. K. Ratkje, Ikue Mori, Greg Pope, Gilles Aubry, Radian, Cellule d'Intervention Metamkine, Kevin Drumm, Thomas Ankersmit, Michael Esposito, Mattin, Zeni Geva, Arcangel Constantini, Yan Jun.
==== Film Awards 2012 ====
2012 – Best Feature Film: Toad Road by Jason Banker
2012 – Best Short Fiction Film: Boro in the Box by Bertrand Mandico
2012 – Best Short Animation: Bobby Yeah by Robert Morgan
2012 – Best Short Experimental: Six Hundred and Forty-one Slates by Don Swaynos
==== Music line-up 2012 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Yan Jun
Arcangel Constantini
Zeni Geva
MATTIN
Michael Esposito
===== Thursday =====
Thomas Ankersmit
Kevin Drumm
Cellule d'intervention Metamkine
Radian, Marzouk & Barrier & Degouts
Gilles Aubry
===== Friday =====
Greg Pope: light trap
Maja S. K. Ratkje & Ikue Mori
Body/Head: Kim Gordon & Bill Nace
Blectum From Blechdom
rm
===== Saturday =====
FAT32
Oi Polloi (censored by the authorities of the city of Lausanne)
Brutal Truth plays Robert Pietrowicz
Pain Jerk
=== 2012: LUFF does TOKYO / FEEDBACK TOKYO ===
At the occasion of the tenth edition, the festival held a special anniversary edition in Tokyo, Japan through an exchange program line-up between the festival, the livehouse Super-Deluxe (Tokyo) and the team of dEnOISE events, Uplink Factory and Image Forum Festival. This one time only exchange was held from April 27 to May 4, 2012 and featured movies from Peter Liechti, Emmanuelle de Riedmatten, Stephan E. Hauser among many others. A website in Japanese, English and French was made for the occasion : http://tokyo.luff.ch.
==== Music line-up ====
===== 27 April 2012 @ UPLINK =====
CINE-NOISE
Sachiko M plays on the movie The Magic of Decay... Decay of the Magic by Stefan E. Hauser
===== 28 April 2012 @ Super-Deluxe (dEnOISE 4) =====
[sic]
Schimpfluch-Gruppe
OFFSEASON & Yudayajazz
Takashi Nemoto VS Kosuke Kawamura
Kleptomaniac + Atsuhiro Ito
Kuruucrew feat. Hair Stylistics
Pain Jerk feat. Taichi Nagura
Zbigniew Karkowski feat. Daniel Buess
===== 29 April 2012 @ Super-Deluxe (dEnOISE 5) =====
Jim O'Rourke feat. Norber Möslang
ASTRO & Dave Phillips
Francisco Meirino
d'Incise
CARRE feat. Strotter Inst.
Kiko C. Esseiva
Hijokaidan feat. HIKO
MARUOSA vs Syndrome WPW
DJ Marc Robert
=== 2011: The Tenth Edition ===
The tenth edition of the festival was held from October 19 to 23 2011.
==== Film Awards 2011 ====
2011 - Best Short Feature Length Film: The Oregonian by Calvin Reeder
2011 - Best Short Animation: Miss Candace Hilligoss’ Flickering Halo by Fabio Scacchioli & Vincenzo Core
2011 - Best Short Experimental: Slick Horsing by Kiron Hussain
==== Music line-up 2011 ====
===== Spécial opening @ Les DOCKS =====
Diamanda Galas (organized with Les DOCKS as opening night the week-end before the festival.)
===== Wednesday =====
David Dunn
Nurse With Wound
Z'ev
ART ERROR IST
===== Thursday =====
Dragos Tara – PIXEL
Insub Meta Orchestra & Kasper T. Toeplitz – _INSUB_
Chop Shop – OXIDE
Rudolf Eb.er
Hair Stylistics
Kasper T. Toeplitz
===== Friday =====
Diversion I: Gudrun Gut, Jou, Pierre Audétat, Bacalao
Thiaz Itch
Kuruucrew
Maruosa
===== Saturday =====
Pivixki + Marco Fusinato
Alva Noto
Byetone
Broken Note
=== 2010: The Ninth Edition ===
The tenth edition of the festival was held from October 20 to 24 2010.
==== Film Awards 2010 ====
2010 - Best Short Fiction Film: You're the Stranger Here by Tom Geens
2010 - Best Short Animation: Oranus by Jelena Girlin and Mari-Liis Bassovskaja
2010 - Best Short Experimental: M by Felix Dufour-Laperriere
==== Music line-up 2010 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Michael Gendreau
Valerio Tricoli
The sons of god
Carl-Michael von Hausswolff
Robert Piotrowicz
===== Thursday =====
Monster War
Gerritt Wittmer
Ramleh
Hijokaidan
Evol
Tujiko Noriko + Lawrence English + John Chantler (@ Le Bourg)
===== Friday =====
Gu Guai Xing Qiu
Discharge
Incapacitants
Les Trucs
GTUK
===== Saturday =====
Fennesz
Oneohtrix Point Never
Starkey
Enduser + Nicolas Chevreux
Cindy Talk, Bruce Gilbert (@ Le Bourg)
rm (@ Le Bourg)
=== 2009: The Eighth Edition ===
This edition was held from October 14 to 18 2009
==== Music line-up 2009 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Chikanari Shukuka
The Haters
Damion Romero
Michael Gendreau
rm
===== Thursday =====
Oren Ambarchi & Robbie Avenaim
Tony Conrad & Keiji Haino
Sister Iodine
Norbert Möslang
rm
===== Friday =====
Kania Tieffer
Ben Et Béné
Planningtorock
OFFSEASON
Jankenpopp
Unas
===== Saturday =====
Solid Black Night
Sunn O
Scorn
Jamie Vex'd
King Cannibal
=== 2008: The Seventh Edition ===
Held from October 15 to 19 2008.
==== Music line-up 2008 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Zeek Sheck
MoHa !
Joe Colley
Skullflower
Deathroes
Tralphaz
===== Thursday =====
Ilios
Sum or R
Haswell & Hecker
Corrupted with Tsurisaki Kiyotaka
Dave Phillips
===== Friday =====
Daniel Buess & Zbigniew Karkowksi
Charlemagne Palestine
Karl Lemieux Project
Jackie O'Motherfucker
DJ Elephant Power
===== Saturday =====
Opérateur Fotokopieur
Jean-Jacques Perrey & David Chazam
Radioactive Man
Tara Delong
DJ Scotch Egg (canceled)
Eat Rabbit
=== 2007: The Sixth Edition ===
Held from October 10 to 14 in Swiss Film Archive, Arsenic and Zinéma.
==== Music line-up 2007 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Dorit Chrysler & Gibby Haynes
Borbetomagus
Lydia Luch & Les Aus
No Bra
===== Thursday =====
Jazkamer
Astro + Reiko A. + PHROQ
The Skull Defekts
Antimatter & Zbigniew Karkowksi
===== Friday =====
Fuckhead
Skindrone
Gert-Jan Prins
Kap Bambino
Sang Bleu
===== Saturday =====
Ghislain Poirier
Sixtoo
Milanese
Cursor Miner
[sic]
=== 2006: The Fifth Edition ===
The fifth edition of LUFF (October 11–15, 2006) featured a look at Viennese Actionism, a retrospective on Jonas Mekas, a program titled sXprmntl selected by Roland Lethem with films by Thierry Zéno, Philippe Caufriez, Patrice Bauduinet, and Patrick Hella, as well as a series by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Musical events included Genesis P-Orridge, Lydia Lunch, John Duncan, The Haters, Gabi Delgado, Kid 606, Spectre, and more.
==== Film Awards 2006 ====
2006 - Best Feature: Threat by Matt Pizzolo and Katie Nisa
2006 - Best Short Film: Memory Lapse by Scott Amos
2006 - Best Experimental Film: Emerge (film) by Stephane Broc
==== Music line-up 2006 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Thee Majety
Neue Weltumfassende Resistance
Lydia Lunch: real pornography
Antoine Chessex
===== Thursday =====
The Haters
John Duncan
S.S.S. with Atau Tanaka
Randy H.Y. Yau
Scott Arford
Infrasound
Column One
The MERJ Experience presents MATIERE
===== Friday =====
Felix Kubin and Pia Burnette
Superalisa
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Kissogram
Egotronic
Live video by la SUPERMAFIA
===== Saturday =====
KID 606
DJ Rupture + Filastine
Shadow Huntaz
Sensational + Kouheikoyxen + Spectre
Hidden_K
=== 2005: The Fourth Edition ===
October 12 to 16 2005
==== Film Awards 2005 ====
2005 - Best Feature:  Die You Zombie bastards ! by Caleb Emerson
2005 - Best Short Film: Clean by Geoffrey Engelbrecht
2005 - Best Experimental Film: Grau by Robert Seidl  and  Fiddler's Green by Jean-Claude Campell and Marco Bowald
==== Music line-up 2005 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Masonna
Zbigniew Karkowski + Atsuko Nojiri
Daniel Menche
Dear Daniel & Michael...
Dave Phillips
Sudden Infant
Justice Yeldham & the Dynamic Ribbon Device
G*Park
===== Thursday =====
Francisco Meirino
Francisco Lopez
Pita & Jade
Vladislav Delay
Mystery Frequency
===== Friday =====
The Licks
Etant Donnés
Alan Vega
Melt-Banana
James d'O
===== Saturday =====
Jo la Noize
Syndrome WPW
Special Event: A*Class (Gina V. D'Orio vs Patric Catani, ex EC8OR)
DAT Politics
Candie Hank aka Patric Catani
Deknoid
=== 2004: The Third Edition ===
October 13 to 17 2004
==== Music line-up 2004 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Dolores Dewberry
Jean-Louis Costes Show
Tujiko Noriko
Whitehouse
PHROQ
===== Thursday =====
Les poissons autistes
Pan Sonic
Merzbow
Hecate
===== Friday =====
Disco Doom
Rhys Chatham project
Tempsion
DJ's ZOB + ESC
===== Saturday =====
Surprise Tricycle Evolutif: Wild Guy
Mignon
Jacqui & Flow
Chicks on Speed
=== 2003 : The Second Edition ===
October 8 to 12 2003
==== Music line-up 2003 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Reverse Engineering
Techno Animal
Asifuoxyd
DJ ZOB + ESC
===== Thursday =====
Kunst
Fatal: Hanin Elias+C.H.I.F.F.R.E.+Philipp Virus
DJ Lincé
===== Friday =====
Performance cinématographique
Monno
Dermehr Gauner
===== Saturday =====
Digitaline
Mouse on Mars
DJ Sonja Moonear
=== 2002: The First Edition ===
The first edition of the festival was held from June 5 to 9 2002.
==== Music line-up 2002 ====
===== Wednesday =====
Jimi Tenor
===== Thursday =====
Plug me in music by Add N To (x)
Nimby
Hexstatic
Lektrogirl
DJ Jobot
===== Friday =====
Otaslogi.c
Scanner
Kippu
===== Saturday =====
The Never Evers
One Dimensional Man
DJ Lars
New York Underground Film Festival
(in French) Category:Festival de cinéma en Suisse
(in French) Category:Cinéma expérimental
(in French) Category:Film underground
(in French) Category:Lausanne
== External links ==
Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival, official site