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Festivals Galore!

(October 2001)

  • Well, folks, the Dutch film "Nynke" has walked away with Golden Calves (Dutch Oscars) for Best Film and Best Actress (Monic Hendrikx). A fine piece of work by director/writer Pieter Verhoeff, this film will undoubtedly do well in American cinemas once it moves across the ocean.

  • No need to rehash the devastating events of September 11th in New York. Only a short note to mention that this so-called "One Day That Shook The World" has had a not too unexpected impact on the release of a number of films. Looks like instead of your run-of-the-mill action thriller bursting with explosions we can now look forward to any number of comedic romps (isn't that also a bit out of place, philosophically speaking?) and romantically-filled sensitive-relationship-goo stuffed with emotions. Life doesn't imitate art all the time, it would seem.

  • The 19th World Wide Video Festival runs from the 10th of October until the 10th of November at various locations in Amsterdam including The Melkweg, Baby, De Brakke Grond, Arti & Armicitae, De Appel, De Veemvloer and (are you ready?) Europarking. Exhibitions, performances, seminars, screenings, presentations and a media lounge are all part of the event(s). Further information available at: www.wwvf.nl.

  • Director John Hay will be visiting Amsterdam the opening weekend of his film "There Is Only One Jimmy Grimble". It will premier on October 18th at the Pathé Arena and Rialtos as well as opening in various theatres in The Hague, Utrecht, Groningen, and Nijmegen. Winner at the Cinekid Festival 2000 as well as picking up the Glass Bear for Best Film at the International Film Festival Berlin 2001, this feel-good movie is a kind of Billy Elliot for football.

  • "A2A: Access to Amsterdam", the newly inaugurated annual international music and media conference, envisioned as a meeting place for musicians, talent scouts, and buyers, will start on Wednesday, October 17th and run until Saturday October 20th. These four days will be filled with seminars, panel discussions, and workshops aimed at professionals and will be followed by nights filled with some 300 showcases of international pop artists aimed at a more general public. Twenty podiums will be shaking and swinging with all sorts of activity ranging from pop and rock n' roll to jazz and world music. Among artists appearing at such Amsterdam locations as the Melkweg, Odeon, and Club de Ville will be Kevin Welch, Kim Richey, The Sexy Finger Champs, Kieran Goss, Red Vinyl Fur, Mintzkov Luna, Buscemi, Yum, Lemon, Arling & Cameron, Ygdrassil, Junkie XL, Nits, Altar, Zuco 103, Bauer, Kojo Antwi, Ifang Bondi, and Myrtle. The price of a ticket for all four evenings is a mere 80 guilders. The daytime events (as mentioned beforehand, all seminars and panels are restricted to industry professionals) cost 250 Euros. Further information available at www.A2A.nl.

  • The 28th International Filmfestival of Flanders will take place from October 8th through October 18th in Ghent, Belgium. Always a treat, this festival has cornered a special spot among festivals by emphasizing the use of sound and music in film. Without neglecting other aspects of cinema, this festival has certainly managed, throughout the years, to add a fascinating focus to the myriad aspects present within the audio elements of cinema. TGH would like to draw your attention to the screening of the 1924 silent screen classic "Orlac's Hands" (starring Conrad Veidt) with a new score by Henning Lohner which will be performed by the National Orchestra of Belgium and conducted by Dirk Brossé on the evening of October 14th at the Flemish Opera House. Further info available at www.filmfestival.be.

  • "15X15: The European Film Heritage" incorporates a series of films to be screened (among other venues) at the Filmmuseum in Amsterdam (in cooperation with the World Wide Video Festival). At the invitation of the European Coordination of Film Festivals, fifteen European filmmakers (e.g. Lars van Trier, Johan van der Keuken*, Theo Angelopoulos, Aki Kaurismäki, and Michael Haneke) have chosen a favorite film from their respective countries which they consider to have wrongly been relegated to near oblivion. This, of course, means lots of great cinematic treats are in store for the uninitiated, ranging from Neil Jordan's "Angel" to Peter Lorre's "der Verlorene". Even one of The Green Hartnett Emeralds (see list on site), "A Matter of Life and Death" (chosen for the festival by Jack Cardiff) is included among the gems.

    The "15X15" films will be touring Europe through next year. Dutch dates are: October 11 through 24 in the Filmmuseum (Amsterdam), October 25 through 31 at the Haags Filmhuis (The Hague), October 25 through November 7 at Filmtheater 't Hoogt (Utrecht) and, at the World Wide Video Festival, from October 10 through November 11 (Amsterdam). The Filmmuseum has also organized, with the assistance of Skrien magazine, a special forum entitled "The Access to the European Film Heritage" chaired by Skrien magazine editor-in-chief André Waardenburg, on Sunday, October 14th . Members of the panel are Jan Baeke, Ad Pollé, Gerwin Tamsma, Marijke van Warmerdam, and Tom van Vliet*. Further info, as well as the full program for events in Amsterdam, is available at www.filmmuseum.nl.

    *Tom van Vliet, director of the World Wide Video Festival, approached directors Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) and Frans van der Staak (1943-2001) last year with a request for a list of their favorite films in order to decide upon the Dutch entry for "15X15: The European Film Heritage". Alas, these two men are no longer amongst us. In memoriam, as a token of appreciation for their assistance for this festival as well as their past work for the lowlands film industry, a portion of their work will be included among the screenings during the festival dates in Holland.

  • October 1st kicks off a month of Lana Turner (that sweater girl from Wallace, Idaho) films on Turner (no relation) television by presenting a documentary about the torrid lady who made the postman ring twice for the first time around. Lana and her daughter, Cheryl, also made big headlines in the 50's before tabloids had even cottoned on to making the daily bread a feeding frenzy. Stick that in your Stompanto!

  • The Tate Modern (the one in London, of course) opened a new surrealist exhibition last month (titled "Desire Unbound") that will run until January 1st 2002. Delicious and obsessive, it will make make you feel like a sissel blossom. Excuse my delectorat and realize that perhaps I have put too much Pollyanna on my garzel, but try to see it if you can. Say-see nes pa in review.

  • Cinekid, the Dutch festival of children's films runs from October 21st till October 28th. (Right smack dab in the middle of the autumn school vacation.) Lots on show from the world of film, television and media. More information available at www.cinekid.nl.

  • A somber note, which may have missed the attention of some (especially considering other events), is that Merle Johnson (better known to those who remember him as Troy Donahue) died last month. Those of you who still remember the hot and raunchy effect of "Parrish" in the sixties as Troy and Connie conversed in the hammock (so much has changed since then) will realize perhaps why this rites-of-passage film has faded into memory. (Imagine, as well, the same future fate for the endless modern parallels that are crammed out by the dozen!) Boy, Troy, bye.

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