Doc/Fest Blog
The Viewing Season
By Hussain Currimbhoy 08 March, 2010
The Viewing Season.
Can you believe its that time of year?
Doc/Fest film submissions are officially open today for one and all.
The only statistic I want to bore you with is that we get higher and higher submissions to the film programme every year - what is different though is last year our Youth Jury winner (Sons of Cuba), Special Mention (I'm Dangerous With Love) and our Innovation prize winner (LoopLoop) were plucked from the submissions pool in 2009. The quality of indie filmmaking in documentary is just getting better and better and this warms the heart and soul.
We have our collection of trusty, slightly bonkers previewers lined up, (some inveterate cinephiles, some new friends, a translator, journalists and musician feature this year), all with eye drops in hand, their minds engaged in mental yoga for weeks now in preparation for what is a rather unique period of constant viewing, discussion, pondering, discovery that culminates in some hard decisions.
Why do I love the Season so much? The Viewing Season is really the funnest, bestest, most exciting part of the programming process because we get to see films without all the hullabaloo and press and hype that comes with seeing films at festivals. Without being too quixotic, you have time to ask yourself 'what is this £200 film really saying?!' without being in a filmmaker / critic echo chamber of opinion you sometimes find yourself in at film festivals and that can sometimes cloud the conscience.
This is not to say that its a purely solitary practise. I always believed that previewing was a lonely gig before I got into it but once I started I realised that previewing actually invites some of the most unlikely but fruitful conversations on film / life with those you trust. Its not often you have this chance with your friends, family and colleagues. But when its Viewing Season, the boundaries come down and the truth pours out like tequila at the end very end of a party. What could be better.
I shan't go on. Look to your left to enter your film.
Thanks everyone!