In class, we’ve talked a lot about how the importance of film festivals goes beyond the films that are shown; most of what makes them special is what happens in between these films. Otherwise, everyone would just watch the movies later when they’re released online!
I didn’t fully understand this point until I started experiencing it for myself. Seeing Kelly Macdonald on stage before the opening night screening of Puzzle made the experience of watching it so much richer. Normally when watching movies, I see the characters as simply characters—the only time I think of the actor behind the character is when I see a stunt and wonder if the actor actually performed it, or maybe if I see a really good crying performance and wonder how hard it was for them to conjure up those tears for the camera. Getting to see Kelly Macdonald as a real person, separate from her character, cast an entirely new light on the film for me. I found myself imagining her conversations with the director before every scene, wondering about her relationships with other actors and how that influenced her onscreen interactions, and imagining how weird it must’ve been to record scenes like the kissing scene over and over. It made me feel like more of a cool film person to think this way, as I’m sure this is the way all directors and film crew members must think while watching any movie.
Mark Cousins’ phoning Orson Welles daughter before the screening of The Eyes of Orson Welles had a similar effect—not only did we get to hear from the director of the film and a key character, but we also got to experience their playful relationship that made all the scenes in the documentary with Beatrice Welles so enjoyable. The image of Mark and Beatrice having cocktails and deciding to make the film was so cool to me, because you don’t often get any insight into the moment an idea for a film is born. At the directors’ and actors’ Q&A after My Friend the Polish Girl, I loved seeing the dynamic between the husband and wife co-directors; the image of them having little quarrels behind the scenes (which seemed to have been sometimes moderated by the actors) changed my hindsight view of the movie.
Lastly, attending the “ceilidh” (a dance with live Scottish-Irish folk music) hosted by the EIFF was possibly my favorite part, and epitomized the concept of interacting with a culture through a film festival that we’ve been reading about. Participating in a traditional event with a mix of Scottish people and people from all around the world was a wild experience, and wouldn’t have been possible for me if it weren’t for the festival. I got to talk to people there from Scotland, who told me about the significance of the event, and people from other countries, like France, who seemed just as excitedly frazzled with the whole thing as we were.
I never would have considered a film festival an essential experience for everyone—I’d always thought of them as being made for those who have a special interest in film or who work in the film industry. Now, I’d recommend to anyone I know that they attend one, especially one in a place whose culture is different from theirs. A new way of watching movies, a better understanding of a culture, and an opportunity to meet people from different countries is something that everyone can benefit from, and I feel lucky that I got to this past week!
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