FoxDfilmfestivals

Bosma (2015) had 4 strategies for curating a programme for a film festival. They are listed above in my own scrappy writing. 

Great seeing festivals getting recognition in all forms of media, including rap music now. Being one of the most well known festivals, Cannes was conceived with the need to compete with the first ever film festival, Venice. Venice’s first event being in 1932, followed closely by Cannes in 1938. It’s now one of if not the most impactful film festivals in the world, programming a mix of independent and premiering some of the biggest and noticeable films in hollywood, for example Pulp Fiction and Taxi Driver.

I’ve always liked the idea of running a film festival. It would go by the name of “The Beauty in Life and Life in Beauty Film Festival”. It would follow the idea of being a week long festival.The first half would present films that show and demonstrate the beauty in aspects of life. The second half of the week would be screening films that present the life and stories that beauty in the world can hold. For each festival 3 prompts would be provided for film makers to work by. The first three would be flora (flowers and plants), tattoos and city scapes. The festival would have a very high emphasis on international film, this is because I want all people to experience other cultures and understand other countries further. 

Film Festivals all around the world differ drastically. This could be for a multitude of reasons. One aspect I want to focus on is presentation of different cinema, based on location. The BFI film festival is a British Film Festival that exclusively focusses upon films set in and focused upon Britain, this is to bring forward and highlight British talent and to express the nations film-making. What i am more interested in however, is the opposite of that, a Film Festival that includes and has an emphasis on international film. A great example of this is Seattle International Film Festival, abbreviated to SIFF. While the BFI wants to bring forward talent within Britain, SIFF wants to express talent and beauty from everywhere. This is emphasised by on the website them saying ‘to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world’. I find this more intriguing as it allows one to have a greater insight into film styles and culture around the world, enriching a film makers and audiences knowledge. Furthermore, why it’s interesting to look at multiple festivals around the world is to acknowledge the different status of films that are being shown. SIFF has a high priority on showing indie and alternative films. The only film to ever be premiered there was Ridleys Scotts ‘Aliens’. This again contrasting the BFI that has an affinity for premiering bigger films with more fame and reputation. 

My second favourite film OAT is “Do the Right Thing”. The film is in so many ways ground-breaking. Not only was it a film that outright questioned and called out institutionalised and general racism, a topic not very touched upon at the time due to black directors still being marginalised, and the race tensions being so raw that a film as such could spark somewhat of a race war, one of the huge concerns with this film. Moreover, the film while not inventing the auteur movement, was progressing it more and more for a new generation of film makers, as Lee’s traits and directing style shone through. Overall it’s an amazing film that’s so stylised and bursting with personality, while holding such a heavy message that is not executed poorly, its handled perfectly. It also had Giancarlo Espocito before being type-casted as a villain, which is always refreshing. Finally my Favourite film is David Fincher’s “The Social Network”.This is an odd one, i cant quite describe why I love it as much as I do. The film handles a non-linear narrative so well, never being confusing or disorientating. The acting in it is nothing less than Oscar nomination worthy. David Fincher is an amazing director his capturing of reality is so perfect and the script is fast snappy and very witty. To top it all off the score for the film is beautiful, some of the songs forever having a place on my playlist. 

Much like the question of what is ones favourite films, definitions are in a same vein. Everyone has their own ways of describing or making sense of something. My own definition of what a film festival is ‘A Film Festival is a gathering of visionaries to present and share their artistic interpretations of what film is’. 

My fifth favourite film of all time, OAT, is “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. The film is in my opinion perfectly animated there is so much attention to detail to even point out. The development for Mile’s character can be a bit jumpy, however, it is my favourite animated film of all time, Ghibli does have some close contenders though. My number four is “Scott Pilgrim Vs the World”. Edgar Write is one of my favourite directors, his style really shines through in his films and they’re always incredibly funny and have amazing action. The film is derived from a comic and you can really tell that with it embracing all the odd and otherwise ignored aspects from other comic book movies, on top of that its just Micheal Cera being Micheal Cera, thats usually going to result in a good film. Finally for this part my number three is “The Thing”. Again a film from one of my favourite directors, the creepy and unsettling film really keeps you on edge the whole film. All the monster and creature aspects being done with practical is one of the most impressive and ambitious feats for a film with a massive emphasis on these aspects. The film overall being a masterclass in suspense and making an audience anxious, thriving off the the human and audiences instinct of fearing the unknown.

I got asked by my tutor what my favourite films are, of all time, and had to present them. I love this question because its so open ended and everyones options vary so drastically. In the next string of posts ill show my top 5, why, and some other details about them.