In(film)fest-ation!
Is there a day on the calendar when there is not a film festival going on? Probably, but I am too lazy to go verify it. One thing for sure, though, is that film festivals are not unlike rain in Seattle or in Ireland—even if it is not happening at this exact moment, it is only a matter of time.
Think about it. You’ve got Sundance in January, then the Berlinale in February, followed by South by Southwest in March. Straddling April and May is Manhattan’s Tribeca Film Festival. The big event comes later in May with le Festival de Cannes, which overlaps with the massive Seattle International Film Festival, which runs into June. Running from late August through September are both the Venice Film Festival and Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival. Early September also sees another major world film event, the Toronto International Film Festival.
And these film festivals I am talking about are just some of the major ones. In addition to the prominent fests, on any given day or week there are also endless numbers of small, specialized, local film festivals going on. The amount of energy, talent and commitment out there for film festivals is absolutely awe-inspiring.
Enthusiasm does not seem to be dimmed by the fact that these days it is so easy to curate your own personal virtual film fest. If you live in a metropolitan area, there are plenty of opportunities to attend screenings at arthouse cinemas, museums and local film societies, as explored in the in the eye-opening 2002 cineaste documentary Cinemania. Or you can just stay home, plopped on your overstuffed couch while you stream, download or view the endless array of films available from terrestrial broadcasts, satellite transmissions and the internet. Yet lots of people still choose to brave traffic, parking and/or mass transportation to attend a movie event in a public place in person with lots of strangers who happen to be fellow cinephiles.
So what if you want to go to a film festival today? Let’s take a random look around at what’s available.
If you are within striking distance of Ireland’s capital, you could attend the 2019 IFI Documentary Festival at Dublin’s Irish Film Institute. Tonight’s opening film is Benjamin Berman’s The Amazing Johnathan Documentary, which reportedly goes all meta as it chronicles its terminally ill magician subject. Over five days the festival will feature new docs from Ireland, Lebanon, Sudan, Bulgaria, Chile and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Disclaimer: I am a member and supporter of the IFI.)
If you are in the Puget Sound area and still in withdrawal from SIFF, then you could get a quick fix by heading to Gig Harbor. Running from tomorrow through Sunday, the Gig Harbor Film Festival features independent films which are submitted in categories for feature-length, short and Made in Washington. Awards are given in the following categories: Audience Choice Award (feature and short), Directors’ Choice Award (feature and short), Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Also to be bestowed is the Gig Award which, as described by the festival, is “given to a film that has challenged our thinking and broadened our social awareness. Gig Award nominees inspire hope and action and remind us of the persistent good of humankind.” The films are screened at the Galaxy Theatres Luxury+ IMAX. (Disclaimer: the daughter of friends of mine is involved in the running of this festival.)
If neither of those fests is close enough to you, maybe it would be more convenient for you to head to the 57th New York Film Festival, which opens on Friday at Lincoln Center and runs through October 13. The highlight there will be the world premiere of Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour crime epic The Irishman, but there are plenty of other high-profile screenings, including Agnès Varda’s final film Varda par Agnès, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes), Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, and a some Batman movie I keep hearing about which does not actually have Batman in it. Also playing are Francis Ford Coppola’s re-working of a 1984 movie of his, The Cotton Club Encore and a restoration of William Wyler’s Sinclair Lewis adaptation Dodsworth plus quite a few more. (Disclaimer: I have no disclaimer.)
Whew. All this cinematic excitement has me tuckered out. I think I’ll go see what’s on the telly.
-S.L., 25 September 2019
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