Earlier today I received an email with the list of the films playing at Fantasia this year...and I took one look at it and I closed it out thinking. "I can't. I just can't". It wasn't that I didn't have it in me to post the press release, rather I just don't have it in me to cover Fantasia the way I've always covered it...or even if I could cover it at all.
So, as a result and as we’re heading into one of the busiest times of year for Unseen Films with three of our biggest festivals New York Asian, Japan Cuts and Fantasia looking to dominate coverage for the next six weeks, I need to take a moment and say that I, personally, am taking a step back for the next few weeks. I just don't have it in me right now.
This shouldn’t affect the planned coverage of NYAFF or Japan Cuts (I have most of my end of the coverage done), but it may impact Fantasia and anything for the rest of the summer, if only in that I will not be giving over as much time to coverage as in previous years.
Before anyone goes crazy and i get emails or tweets, there is nothing really wrong, I just need to step away. Life on line and especially in the real world has caught up to me and I need to publicly take a break before I physically break. I need to regroup before I charge the windmills once more.
The real world stuff I won't bother going into. Its life. It happens.
As for the on line a large portion of it is the result of Unseen’s growing reputation becoming a curse. Over the last 18 months we've been having a lot of new stuff thrown us, which has been eating up a great deal of time. Some of it has lead to great things, some of it hasn’t but all of it has involved extra behind the scenes work. Actually the amount of work keeping things current and going seems to have tripled. I noticed it before Tribeca when I spent several days just organizing coverage and already written posts. I spent days not watching or writing just administrating. Now I am spending more and more time administrating instead of writing and I am feeling way behind.
I am severely burnt out, which is something you can see in any piece of mine that is short and not impassioned.
I need to step away (ie. cut way back)- or as much as I can step away when several of the best festivals in the world throw their wares at you.
What does this mean for you?
If you a reader and fan of the site, probably not a lot. I have posts scheduled to the end of November so if I walked away and said nothing you’d barely notice- other than the lack of current festival coverage. As I said above my end of our NYAFF is done. I’m hoping to add to it from Joe and Nate and anyone else going. There is also some stuff to tie into the NYAFF guests we are planning on doing as well. I’ve got Japan Cuts in hand, plus I’ve got a special interview coming so no change there.
Any changes will come after that, with Fantasia, Asian American International Film Festival, and what follows this summer. There will be some coverage of all of that but I’m not sure how much. I need to find a way in, to refire the passion. But we’ll see how it plays out come the end of July when those fests hit.
The real reason I am mentioning this is because I have a lot of PR people and studio people sending me stuff and I want them to be understanding when I say no. I've been doing that a lot recently and I'm going to be doing it more for a while. I also want them to understand that I don’t want them not to send me films, more it’s a request for understanding as to why I am saying no- I’m saying no because I’m not full of fire for what you are sending me- as a result you run the risk of a half-assed review.They don't want that, which is why if I'm not feeling it I will say no. I still want everything sent to me because one never know what may thrill me.
Other than that Unseen will continue as before. There will be no change. There will be at least a film every day for the foreseeable future. Coverage through early August will be primarily festival coverage. After that I don’t know. I hope to be over this feeling and to be able climb back on the beast for the New York Film Festival.
That's it for now.
Time for me to prep a few posts for the next couple of weeks before I take a few days off to stare out a window and wonder what the blue thing over my head is.
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