Yasmine Canga-Valles,

Editor (Film)

 

Why would they matter? What does it mean for a film to be projected in a Film Festival? What makes the renown of a festival? Why does it seem so ‘cool’ to have attended one? So many questions as I just come back from a weekend dedicated to the 56th London Film Festival edition.

Most famous film festivals in the world are 12 days long. During that time, films from Asia, Africa, America, Europe or Oceania, from debuting or renown filmmakers, with debuting, rising or forgotten actors, are all boosted up. Many have been revealed through them. For instance, Quentin Tarantino presented Reservoir Dogs off-competition in Cannes 1992 edition. The role of film festivals can be said to be that once the films are screened at the festival, they are not left in the shadow.

Show-Festivals

The festival organizers usually put on quite a show: red carpet, paparazzi, glamour, party; in short, everything to keep up with the intellectual elitism of Cinema. The Cannes Festival for example is the place to see and be seen. Each year it attracts millions of film fanatics. Sarcasm works with Cannes as the international media spotlights this major event and its renown already eternal.

Yet, I would like to draw people’s attention on Festivals like Berlin, Venice, London and, my personal favorite, the Sundance in the United States of America. They are not as popular, but their importance is similar to that of Cannes. There are, also, all kind of specialized festivals. One example of this could be the LGBT+ film festivals that are across the world and allow filmmakers to fight homosexuality’s clichés. Animation festivals also welcome amazing films, which are not only for the young members of our community.

Experts-snobs

Film festivals are commonly though as marking the difference between art and mainstream as a panel of supposed experts scrutinize every details of the screen just like Gary Lineker would analyse the instant replays of a Clasico. The selection board is usually made of renowned personalities of the Cinema Industry who have watched, made or analyse a lot of films. As ‘Gods of Cinema’ they decide whether a film is an award or a flop.

After a film festival, you can be sure that the winning film will go to the box-office as a “must-see” just because a bunch of ‘film-snobs’ said it was. And even if the film does not make it through the competition, a little text surrounded with a laurel wreath will appear as a quality stamp. Apocalypse Now (F.F. Coppola), Pulp Fiction (Q. Tarantino), The Pianist (Roman Polanski), all won the Palm D’or at the Cannes Festival, are loved by a huge audience and considered as cults. I’ll be honest by saying that these are most of my favorite films. So it would be prudent to say that they deserve their awards.

However, the example of Fahrenheit 911 by Michael Moore shows that an award also depends on where a film is screened. The film won the 2004 Palme D’or at the Cannes festival and the British People’s Choice Award with anti-Americans who could not get enough of it –despite some inaccuracies. It is not sure if it would have had the same impact with an American Jury.

Somehow, even if a film is bad, you will always question yourself first: ‘Did I not get it? It must be of some interest if it was selected in that festival.’ But this is the debate on where the limit of art is and I cannot start on this.

Judging a good film from a flop is more difficult than it seems but in the end the only jury is you, the Spectator. Film directors keep rolling not just to please film critics. So all you movie-lovers keep an open mind and go to as many film festivals as you possibly can.

And if you cannot make it to festival, don’t let that dampen your spirits. Grab your popcorn, dim the lights and enjoy the movie!