26th in Hamburg, going on 27th and more

International, no budget, three minute quickies, what do all these words have in common? Whatever you're thinking, stop! They're all sections from the 26th international short film festival, which I was lucky enough to attend this year, in the wonderful town of Hamburg.

In town for a short film, made by myself and Alex Barrett, Paintbrush: The Epitaph received a welcome and warm reception, as I was offered a drink by the barman in the very characteristic Lichtmeb cinema, only to be told to put my money away, after being told it was a super film.


As I enjoyed the luscious weather walking around town, I carried my trusty map and most importantly, the pocket size film festival schedule. With an array of short films, in sections that included home grown Hamburg short films and German, the festival also offered a children's film festival, entitled the mo&friese, now in it's 12th year. Within this section, were films considered to be suitable for children, made by adult filmmakers and films made by children themselves. This being my first children's film festival, I would love to see more of them around the world, as I saw a collection of delicate, creative and well made films


To mention a couple, a film entitled Herzschmerz (Heartache) an animation made with lego by thirteen year old Lennart Dohle, a film which deals with two characters who share the same feelings of lost and loneliness. When Hildegard's handbag is stolen by a thief, new friend Tim is at hand to the following consequences that follow, with a story that carries many old tradition values. So moving, it's hard to write, let alone think about this film again as I was lucky enough to see it twice. Jeremy Philip's Milchzahm und silberhaar (Milk tooth and silver hair) deals with a grandfather's story of the past to his grandchild, thoughtout camerawork and an easy to follow story, made this a simple and effective film.


One of this year's special programmes was films from Thailand, which I was lucky enough to see one film from, shown in the opening ceremony. A very interesting piece, which may have been only the beginning for a great array of short films which I'll sadly never find out, the unfortunate and always way of life with so many great things to choose from, you can't have it all.



With my many hightlights of the week, around meeting wonderful people from around the world, filmmakers, team members of the festival, natives and of course the lovely volunteers, (whom I have always enjoy meeting at all film festivals, of which are some of the greatest people I am still lucky enough to have today in my life)



I now have to mention the open air night. Situated on the top floor of a car park, in the parameters of Rathaus and Willy Brandt-Strabe, unsual short films from the three minute quickies and of the past, were introduced and screeened in the heart of the city, with an astonishing view, food and two euros bottled beer. At the end of the night, people started to fold and carry their chairs. Me and Alex sat confused, as to whether the chairs were owned by each person or was a tradition that we were about to insult. Mixing into the crowd seemd the best bet as we we picked up our chairs and followed the crowd, as we all walked down the car ramp from the seventh floor, of the kitchsy entitled park deck kino. Never done that before!!! I'll never forget it. Here is a picture, courtesy of Simone Werder, whom we met going down the ramp.








Rather than make this whole article about only the film festival, I would like to mention my wonderful hosts, Steffen and Frajo, who welcomed me and made me feel at home in their apartment, greatly located in a lovely part of the city. To you both, Ich danke Ihnen!

The city of Hamburg I have fallen in love in, people ride their bikes like they're stirring sugar into their tea. As my flight flew in, ready to land, I could see how stunningly beautiful the city was and on arrival, it became even more gorgeous with it's amount of greenery, warm people, relaxed way of life, great venues, shops, bars and casual atmosphere. In Hamburg, I felt like people were enjoying their lives, taking it all for what it is, something I myself value and appreciate, it's nice to see.


And so...with an endless list of parties, a range of contacts, fond memories, many beers, quick meals, not much sleep, awards given out and some last minute dancing, the festival bittersweetly came to a close. But like the director of Camerimage once told me, as me and other friends sat around with miserable faces in the club, on the last night of festival, asking what was wrong. We told him with sadness, 'it's over.' Marek replied with joy and positivity, 'Don't worry, they'll be another camerimage next year' and so...they'll be another international Kurz film festival in Hamburg...




I'll be waiting...

Those residents, however, are willing to shell out the hefty sum of 30 to 50 toman for the hottest bootleg in Iran: LOST

So after six years, each series declining lowers in episodes, the show that had millions worldwide hooked, finally comes to an end. The question everyone is asking ,was it worth it? In my case, yes but not for the reasons many would think.

Firstly, let me begin by saying that the show's last two hour finale was disppointing, not as exciting as LOST was over the years and definately a very average episode as opposed to the other series finales.

LOST was entertaining, it had mystery, it had great characters, it had flashbacks, action, humour, multicultural people, subtitles. It was new, exciting, it was thinking outside of the box.

I'm not part of the group that declares LOST that greatest show ever made, I disagree with that entirely but it had elements that were striking, moving and very powerful at times. Most of this, stemmed from the fantastic charactisation of each character, we knew and found out nearly everything about everyone, from their past, through to their future. The attention to detail was impeccable, if only done in a mainstream way, which let's not forget, LOST was.

Whilst the show had any layers going on at the same time, the question was always the same, when will answers come. The genius of the show, as people know, lay in the answers never coming, right through to the penulitimate episode. Each series answered about one question in very fine detail and many viewers wanted the last episode rightly titled 'the end' to do this. Others just wanted a deserving end to a show they invested so much time into.

Me, I don't care about answers, I don't want answers and I never expected any. But this was not the problem with the finale.

The penulitimate episode ended as best as LOST had done over the years, I was excited, I was hooked, ready for the last chapter in the saga. What I was given was two hours of TV which meant nothing! It was like the creators had been away for so long, working on Fringe, Flash Forward, JJ on MI3, Star Trek and they both came back to pen the end, which fell flat on it's face. It wasn't moving, it wasn't very enjoyable and it just didn't work.

To say anymore would convince you all, that I wanted answers, that I'm in denial, that that's really my problem but infact I did get some answers...we all did.

So they have been living two parallel lives, so what? LOST had darkness in it, the idea that evil constantly lives amongst hope and faith.

Looking back on it, Desmond saved the show for me. His love for Penny was so strong that the creators would have been hunted down if either Desmond or Penny had been killed. In the fouth season episode, 'The Constant' the moment they speak to each other for the first time in over three years is one of the moving scenes from the entire show, the love these two characters had for each other was so real, strong and convincing, it bought hope to the old fashioned concept of 'love.'

So now what, some people will say it was the greatest show that ever lived. The great elements that the show had over the years, can never be taken away but every story must have a great end, one that makes sense to the entire story if not answering anything at all or not even being that coherent.

LOST sadly was not found, it sunk into an abyss, broke up in chunks and was never to be seen again. A sad end, for all the wrong reasons...but never forgotten...


Iran's secret obsession: Getting Lost in Tehran

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1958971,00.html

TV drama gains Islamic apporoval as 'Lost mania' grips Iran

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/13/lost-tv-drama-iran

Free Jafar Panahi

One of the most important filmmakers of the new wave, Iran and the entire world, needs you, please end your hunger strike.

Please find all the support you deserve right here...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=341946171819&ref=ts

Sign the petition here...

http://www.petitiononline.com/FJP2310/petition-sign.html

Free Jafar Panahi, he has done nothing wrong

The First Movie

Part documentary, part essay, part contemporary memoir.

From watching short films within a film, from watching an young audience watch feature films for the first time on the big screen, Mark Cousins ‘the first movie’ is a multi-layered film, which creates a ‘real’ cinema experience for the viewer never seen before, in a very innovative way.

During the screening’s Q & A, a nine year old girl told Cousins, ‘I always thought of Iraq as a bad country but I will now be saying good things about it.’ Through his own presence on screen and in his own voiceover, Cousins begins his film with no titles to indicate location, to avoid stereotypical images which are most of the time created by the press, therefore allowing the audience to view the film freely without any preconceived images. Cousins talks of his original upbringing in Belfast but only for a ‘wee’ minute, rather than create a formulaic doc where the filmmakers life is similar to what he is witnessing, whilst cutting back and forth, Mark avoids this cliché approach and instead allows the images being seen around him and by the kids, in the small of Goptapa, to speak for themselves.

Whilst Cousins film may be about his own identity, to this small town and these kids, the film becomes an entirely selfless film, about so many other things. A child’s spirit in a country torn apart by war, as the children play with balloons, a scene more moving than watching a plastic bag dance in the wind. A child’s imagination as they talk the kind of stories and genres they would make films about, talking of comedy and love. A celebration of cinema as Cousins set up a cinema, showing them films that he considers to be the best children’s films ever made, amongst them Astrid Henning-Jensen's Danish film Palle Alone in the World (1949), about a little boy who wakes up in the world without grown-ups. The children stare in awe at the screen, laugh and attempt to touch images flying off the screen, as they are taken away into the world of storytelling.

Cousins gives three of the children he meets whilst filming, their own cameras to play with, one of which comes back with footage of a child playing with mud in water, for a duration of one minute and twenty two seconds, with a narration by the young boy filming him. The short instanteous piece of film is more incredible, moving, real and multi-layered than any filmmaker can ever truly imagine to achieve after years of preparation. Whilst Cousins film is uplifting, sad and moving, it never overplays any elements by being too over dramatic or oversentimental. The film movie is real, based on real lives, in a real town, within a real country all captured in a real, entertaining, simple, open-minded, open-hearted and thought provoking way.

'Is that my milk tray!!!!' shouted Mitchell

Is that my milk tray!!!!, a line I've always remembered from 'Claws', one of my favourite plays, along with 'Potentials', written my friend Dominic Mitchell (or Mitchell as I like to call him) The first conversation we ever had was on the second day of our university term, within the IT suite, meeting each other for the first time. Mitchell had a passion for film, like myself, and an eye to succeed with his creativity and intelligence, traits which to this day, still shine through.

His most recent play, 'Don't look back', performed at the Young Vic, surprised me with his ending. I liked the play, it was as mad as a Mitchell play normally gets, playing on a myth that's supposely true, I was only confused by the straight ending which he never does. For the first time, there was a much more sombre, peaceful, happy end, like everything is going to be alright. You see, Mitchell creates unusual worlds with his plays.

In 'Claws', the focus draws from creating the idea that everything inside is safe inside and bad outside, as one of the children from the large age group, ages ranging from 6 to 18, returns back home after escaping weeks earlier. The older kids, named after looney tunes characters such as tweeny and bugs, tie him up and hang an anvil above his head. These are children who believe in Santa Claus and sing jingle bells as their prayers so when a homeless man, breaks into their home, dressed in a red suit, they beleive him to yours truely. The play was performed as a rehearsal at Polka theatre, I'm lucky to say I caught it but I'm sad to say that's the last time it was performed, as it remains one of my favourite plays.

As more Mitchell plays circled London, ranging from more rehearsals, to a few days perfomances, to one week runs, Mitchell was about to have a play entitled 'Potentials', which was about to have a run of just under three weeks at the Tristan Bates theatre. I'll add a link here so you can read more about this extraordinary play...

http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/off-west+end/E8831241782752/Potentials.html

The play blew me away, at the age of 27, the issues within it, had been central to most of my life and I think will always be even after the age of 30.

Mitchell's stories are a mix of the surreal, the shadows and the rawness within each of us, played out with political, social and dark humour. His characters look out towards what lengths a human being will really do and feel, given any time, place or situation, to any depths. Diverse, exciting, intense, revelant, Mitchell.

So what's next...well, Mitchell currently has a blog through writers room http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/dominic_mitchell/

and is developing other projects, which I'm not sure if I'm allowed to talk about or not...either way, you'll hear from him soon.

But for now...'Is that my milk tray!!!!'

Solocypher

http://www.vocalswords.blogspot.com/


http://www.myspace.com/solocypherthevocalsword

LD 1

'Look, I'm not a cool guy or anything, I haven't been on a date in twelve years, but I would love to waste your time for a couple of hours. What do you think about that, can I do that, is it possible?'

Larry David