What were the key insights you gained from one or both of Cerise Howard’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival reports from Senses of Cinema and from one or both of Jessica Kiang’s Berlinale festival reports regarding what made a pleasurable, or unsatisfactory, film festival experience for the reporter?
After reading both Cerise Howard’s and Jessica Kiang’s film festival reports, a key insight that I have gained are the ways in which festivals can influence how audiences explore, consume and experience such events. In Howard’s (2019) report on the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, she noted how the performance portions of the opening and closing ceremonies were very similar and consisted of the same routines being repeated. I found this particularly interesting as the presentation of the opening and closing ceremonies should be very different from one another. Opening ceremonies should aim to invite audiences in the celebration of the festivals theme and purpose, whereas the closing ceremony should evidently mark the end of the celebration and acknowledge those who were involved. This is definitely something to carefully consider when organising our festival, as these aspects of the events are what audiences tend to remember when reminiscing their festive experiences.
In addition to this, Howard (2019) also noted that the lack of material being translated and included into the English insert of the festival paper, was a ‘disservice’ to the festival itself. By simply having translated more of the Czech material into English, there could have been ‘greater illumination on the films’ and the ‘personalities behind them would have been welcomed’ and enjoyed by all visitors of the Karlovy Vary (Howard 2019). As our film festival aims to showcase many international films, it is important to remember that information and material should be available in several languages to ensure every audience member feels welcomed and included in the festival.
In comparison, Kiang’s (2021) festival report detailed her experience of attending an online-only film festival due to the pandemic. Her virtual experience of what she refers to as the 2021 ‘Lonely Berlin Film Festival’, left her feeling dissatisfied and very isolated from the real Berlinale (Kiang 2021). The only pleasurable aspect of the festival she describes were the high-quality selection of films being screened. With this in mind, it allowed her to come to the realisation of how it’s not just about the quality of the films or sociability of the theatrical experience that provides a pleasurable experience, rather, it’s the ‘interferences’ and ‘tiny tactical imperfections’ of festival culture that create a memorable and satisfying experience.
With this in mind, Kiang’s outlook on this takes me back to the discussions held in week two with festival director Richard Sowada. As he discussed, audiences tend to be less concerned with the content being offered, and rather focus more on the context and purpose of the festival. In the case for Kiang, the content and quality of the films were not enough to please her and provide her with a memorable experience. It was more about the festival culture as a whole, and the physical experience that was missing to provide her with a satisfying film festival experience.
References
Howard, C 2019, ‘Of liberation, and of states of undress and redress both: The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’, Festival Reports, no. 92, viewed 8 April 2022, <http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2019/festival-reports/of-liberation-and-of-states-of-undress-and-redress-both-the-54th-karlovy-vary-international-film-festival/>
Kiang, J 2021, ‘A Dirty Winner at a Lonely Berlin Film Festival’, The New York Times, 19 March, viewed 8 April 2022, <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/movies/berlin-film-festival-bad-luck-banging-or-loony-porn.html>