But festivalism lives in a high castle, surrounded by a moat not entirely of its own construction. Today’s festival system, which assiduously scouts new locations and sponsors despite economic trouble, promotes a transnational fraternity of directors, journalists and, well, festival programmers. This is not a bad thing, but it is a mixed blessing. The festival world is gratifyingly cosmopolitan — so many movies from so many places! — yet it can also feel narrow, small and self-regarding. Inhabitants tend to encounter the same kinds of movies again and again, and to participate in the same arguments about them. Even acts of extreme provocation, like “Antichrist,” this year’s designated traveling scandale de festival, have a ritualistic, predictable quality.
The current New York Film Festival produces more fatigue than shock, and seems governed less by a sense of adventure than by academic duty and confirmation bias. How do we know this festival has the best films in the world? Because all the other festivals agree. It’s a nonstop party, as long as we follow the party line.
A.O. Scott on the NY Film Festival, for the Times. (via rcjohnso)
I have said the word “film festival” so many times in the past month that the phrase has lost its meaning. ff has evolved into an agreed-upon acronym, the way we call boys we like by letters or nicknames because we feel stupid for saying their name so much.
But this is very interesting!!
People keep talking about Tumblr’s Reblog This Film Festival as a sort of anti-film festival and I roll with it, as I will readily admit I know next to nothing about film festivals or filmmaking as both an industry and/or an art form. My M.O. with this whole thing has been to ask people who DO know if what I am envisioning sounds right and fun and what they want to experience.
Which generally has nothing at all to do with fatigue or elitism and everything to do with celebrating — celebrating all the amazing people doin their thang on Tumblr and all of those awesome thangs they’re doing. We want to hang out and show that off. And talk about what that means and how it makes you happy and how we can do it better and help each other out.
Is that not what film festivals are about? Heh, whatever. This is the Internet, all bets are off.
(via meaghano)
