Some random thoughts on festivals and stuff.
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I was trying to see what films the Port Jefferson Doc series was planning on screening in the fall and saw that they moved the screenings to Thursday and into a church across from Theater 3.
I’m not sure how it’s going to play for me. While I am spotty in attending, I tend to have seen most of the films so I don’t schlep out to see the films, I’m not sure how it’s going to work. Thursdays tends to be a night I schedule things for, so it will conflict with several things already scheduled. Additionally the church has pews, and while I’m told they are padded, I’ve never been a fan of pews. It’s been a while since I was by the church and I’m wondering how the projection of the early fall films will mix with large church windows.
We’ll see what happens.
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After all the weeks of festivals you're possibly wondering where is Unseen heading in the next few weeks...
Another week of Fantasia films before we go semi-quiet until the fall. (Addendum-I jut got roped into Popcorn Frights - so horror films in early to mid August)
I have requests in for credentials for several fests (NYFF, FANTASTIC FEST, ect) and I’ve been promised films from various other fests. I’m also doing something that may eat a lot of my time in the next couple of weeks, which I’ll explain when it’s all done.
I have no grand plans.
It should be interesting.
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While not as bad as past years, I’m still wondering why I do this when there is no cash in this and the social aspect is changing.
It doesn't help that the petty annoyances of some PR people and festivals are piling up.
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The New York Asian Film Festival ended tonight- as this posts I’m heading to the closing night film with Nate so there are still more reports to come.
While the festival has evolved and changed, and seems to have found a new footing with a new audience it's clear the old NYAFF is dead. I say this because most of the screenings I went to did not have many familiar faces from years past at them at all.
After years of complaining about how it doesn’t know what it wants to be I think it knows now, so bravo.
Long live the new flesh.
Also BRAVO for their handling of the near debacle with BABY ASSASSINS: NICE DAYS World Premiere. The digital file went down, but they still managed to screen the film, hand out the Daniel J Kraft Award for Action, do the Q&A and get everyone who had tickets to the next screening. I may bitch and complain but what they did was masterful.
If I may be so bold I’d like to give a couple of quick notes to the programmers for the next edition.
My first note: is to program less films. There were over 90 films, I saw over half of them. While there were some great films, there were also a large number of films that seemed to be there as filler. Too many left me wondering why the film was screening.
My second note: is rethink how you are programming films after 8, at least on week days. Since Sam took over running the festival they have been programming films at 6 and 9pm on weeknights with regularity. The 9pm isa problem because unless you are staying in Manhattan, and not living in New Jersey or on Long Island you're getting home at 1 or 2 in the morning. Its a problem that was a discussion among several people who commuted on several lines I was on as people stated they wanted to see more but couldn't go late, so didn't come in because seeing one film wasn't cost effective.
When I said this was a problem for those not in NYC Sam's joking comment was we should be taking off from work for the festival. While in past years I could squeeze in some late night screenings this year it was problem because many of the screenings I wanted to see had guests which pushed end times until after 11 which is when the trains stop running regularly. This is one of the reasons Broadway shows try to end before 11. While I could see the 9PM films I would have to bail on the Q&A so I simply didn't go.
My last note: is the festival needs to do something about it’s counter programming both to itself and to Japan Cuts. Yes I know the festival wants to schedule more films than anyone can see but they repeatedly schedule films for the same audience against each other. KINGDOM played against WOLF HIDING. I mention that because I wanted to see them both on the big screen and had to choose.
Having the second screen at LOOK on 57th was not the best move because unless you flew you usually ended up missing one if not two films at Lincoln Center just because the locations didn’t line up.Anyone I spoke with who went from one location to the next spoke of crazed dashes between theaters. Personally I would have gone to the Josie Ho film ONPAKU before CUSTOMS FRONTLINE (after the cancellation of the original film before CUSTOMS) but getting from 57th to Lincoln Center after a Ho Q&A in time to get a good seat at a big awards event was nigh impossible so I just went to CUSTOMS
The biggest problem is that the counter programmed to Japan Cuts. I know the the programmers really don’t care about Cuts (they seem to be in a quiet war with it), but almost everyone I spoke with who loves Asian cinema complained that they had to choose which festival they were spending the day at. Sorry NYAFF but most people sided with Cuts not because they didn’t want to see the films at NYAFF but because more of the NYAFF films seemed to have some sort of distribution deal or screenings at other fests like Fantasia and they could catch those later.
Of course it’s none of my business, and it probably won't make a difference but I still feel a connection to the festival that I want it to be the best possible fest.
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This week I received another email asking me to expand a review from the New York Jewish Film Festival for the theatrical release and I now realize that I am probably no longer going to cover NYJFF It's not that there is anything wrong with the films or the festival, instead it is the festivals insistence the last few years of allowing only capsule reviews. It's a mandate the Jewish Museum has implemented not Lincoln Center. I asked why, and no one seems to know.
This is not workable for me (or most writers I know who have complained). I am running into issues with distributors, PR people and filmmakers who want longer reviews to use when the films are released to theaters. I can't write longer reviews month or years after the fact, nor do I want to sit on banked reviews.
Additionally as much as I like the fest I am not going to spend two hours watching a film knowing I will have to condense my feelings in into four or five lines and possibly sit on a banked full review for months or years.
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