Howdy from Rotterdam
Well folks, you may not have noticed, but your Programming Coordinator has disappeared in the last week. In fact I stepped into a Twilight Zone warp which transported me to the Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands. I am here to check out some fantastic film making from around the world, and report back to you.
This year marks the 39th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival. It is a ten day festival that celebrates the best of international independent film. They showcase short film and feature film programs, as well as emerging filmmaker development programs, a film market, young film critics training programs and much more. In addition, if you are looking to submit to festivals, it is rated one of the top film festivals in the world, alongside Cannes and Sundance and does not charge any entry fees! You can find more information on their website: filmfestivalrotterdam.com/nl/
On some recent world travels, I found myself in a bookstore in the quaint city of Edmonton. There I picked up a book called "Art Objects: Essays on Ecstacy and Effrontery" by Jeanette Winterson. This book turned out to be an incredible little find - a series of essays on what it means to love art - be it visual, written, theatre, dance, whatever. The first essay talked about the act of falling in love with a painting and spending time with it. Winterson writes about the object of the painting as something that is developed through the process. It is a mysterious aura that cannot be duplicated in digital reproductions or photographs. She talks about the magnetic draw of a painting and how it originates in the "object as an art process, the thing in being, the being of the thing, the struggle, the excitement, the energy that has found expression in a particular way." She goes on to say that in order to truly appreciate works like these, one must access the original paining - see the brush strokes and work and time that went into it, and contemplate that as part of the work itself - not just the work as a flat image hung on the wall that someone else tells you is important. The audience must play a role in finishing the artwork by spending time with it, by being willing to put themselves in the artist's shoes and by digging deeper than the obvious surface. The artist offers the object - the viewer must bring the story.
I realize that this seemingly does not have much to do with Rotterdam and films, but bear with me.
Part of my visit to this festival is to prepare myself for the upcoming $100 Film Festival. It is an event that I love dearly, and many people in our community love as well, but every year I get questions about "why just on film? Film is Dead." Our reasoning is that the experience of film projected on a surface is impossible to beat. It is gorgeous and magical. Fortunately the festival also keeps proving that is not true at all with increased submissions every year and is currently the longest running festival in Calgary at a grand 18 years (not quite 39, but we're working on it!) However it is not just film that is "dying" but also its home - the cinema. The thing about a film festival (any film festival) is that it is not just something that you can experience in your living room. To attend a festival, people have to leave their houses and go to an actual cinema - another dying breed in todays downloadable society. As a programmer, you have to wonder what it is that draws people to do so. For one, it's to see films that you can't just download or TiVO. Another is to support the local community and independent film. Another is probably just to get out of the house.
But I think that the magic of cinema (cliched as it is) is the real draw for people. Like I said, you do not get the same experience watching a film on your tv as in a movie theatre. Here in Holland, the theatre`s I`ve been to are gorgeous. They are small - not mega-multi-plexes. Most I`ve seen seat about 100 people. They are luxurious and reminiscent of the 1920s and 30s. And the experience starts as you walk in the door. No greasy popcorn smell invades you as you step through that portal. The grand lobbies have seating and mingling areas for discussion of the films, and usually include a bar and snack area to encourage people to come early and stay afterwards and socialize.
Socialization. That is another key to this magic. Instead of sitting alone on the couch, snuggling the dog (who is not a very good conversationalist), you get to experience the light, the projection, the sound and the space of the theatre with other people. You can enjoy (or hate) it with them, and by having other people there, you cannot just turn it off and walk away - society dictates politeness, and in that you have to stay and watch, and in that time that you`re forced to watch, there is time for thoughts to creep in and perhaps an understanding, if not liking. Even if you don`t do that during the film itself, that act of mingling and talking about it afterwards is another opportunity to better understand. I have seen many artworks (film or otherwise) that I don`t `get`. But in talking to other people about their thoughts, together we`ve created some insight and an entry point into the work that was not there when I was alone.
Cinema and the act of projecting light in such a place is becoming an art experience. Like seeing an original painting, hearing the symphony or reading literature. They must do so in order to survive - no longer is film relegated to being `entertainment`, it can be much more. Like the book or painting, it must become a collectors item, a precious art object of light on screen, where audiences can experience a magic that they can`t get with digital reproductions, tv screens or cell phones.
And speaking of... my morning is going to start off at 9:30am with a film and my day will continue with much the same. Now that is the start of a fantastic day.
Tot ziens!
Love Melanie
