“Mycelium Chronicles” 2026 Sci-Fi Festival: Fourth Edition Centers on “Resilience”

The “Mycelium Chronicles” Sci-Fi Festival, which integrates web creation, scientific research, and imaginative worlds, will return from January 31 to February 15, 2026, with synchronized events in over 80 cities across mainland France and overseas territories.

In 2023, at the initiative of the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), the Regional Film Development Agency (ADRC) and Images in Libraries Association collaborated to establish the “Mycelium Chronicles” Sci-Fi Festival. Its mission is to build interdisciplinary bridges between scientific exploration, literature, film, digital content, music, and video games. The fourth edition, themed “Resilience,” will take place from January 31 to February 15 next year. Cinemas and multimedia libraries across France have curated a series of screenings and workshops around this theme, exploring the multifaceted concept of “resilience”—from climate and energy crises to food security—through narratives of societal collapse (apocalyptic and disaster scenarios), human resistance (social reorganization), and the preservation of life (ecosystems and biodiversity).

The opening ceremony will be held at the Forum des Images in Paris on January 31. The public is invited to participate in a “Science & Fiction” film quiz designed by the acclaimed video team CALMOS, followed by a panel discussion titled “Awaiting the End of the World?” The event will conclude with a screening of Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, introduced by critic and video essayist Pacôme Thiellement. The following day, the festival will collaborate with the children’s film program “CinéKids” for a screening of Gints Zilbalodis’ animated film Flow, exploring the myths and legends of constellations. A special screening of Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars will be followed by an expert analysis on “How Does the Internet Shape Our Thinking?” led by researchers from the Internet and Society Center of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Throughout the festival, cultural venues across France will screen sci-fi classics such as Train to Busan, Mad Max, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Angel’s Egg, The Tree of Life, Soylent Green, and Children of Men. The festival will also spotlight emerging works supported by the CNC, including Momoko Seto’s Planets (recipient of script rewriting, animation technology, pre-production revenue advance, and original music grants) and Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco (recipient of animation technology, feature-length development, author development, genre film creation, and original music grants). In partnership with the French Short Film Agency, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy a selection of curated short films.

Dozens of writers, web creators, science communicators, film critics, game researchers, and illustrators will participate in discussions and meet-and-greets across the country. Notable guests include the team behind the podcast Filmed Without Tricks, film critics Lloyd Chéry and Perrine Quennesson, video creators “Captain of Nexus VI” and “Nedrac Philo,” as well as authors Mathieu Bablet, Catherine Dufour, Ketty Steward, and Lisa Blumen. Scientists from the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the French Science Fiction Association (SFE), and the French Astronomical Society (SAF) will also take part in the festival’s events.

More details will be announced soon.

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