My last festival trip of the year startet in Busan, South Korea, which I rank as the most important film festival in Asia (which they - the festival - do too). The program is usually top notch, and with 307 flicks from 70 different countries there's quite a bit to chose from. 135 of the films are world premieres or at least international premieres. 196 177 admissions isn't bad either. 2011 was the 15th edition of the festival and my fith visit, I think. This year's program was actually a bit disappointing for my part, and we didn't find as many films as we wanted this time. But hey - welcome to my world! The best films are few and far between. We actually have a couple of titles on hold from last year's Busan festival that might fit into this year's TIFF program. Like money in the bank.
Lexus luxury
My suitcase got smashed on the flight from Busan to Seoul, so that wasn't the best start for the next leg of my trip. But that was all forgotten when I landed in at the Dubai airport. A lovely woman holding a sign with my name met me at the gate, and escorted me to a comfy lounge, where I could relax while someone else took care of my passport check and luggage. Don't get accustomed to this treatment, Martha, I thought to myself. Next thing I knew a Lexus whisked me the 100-some miles to Abu Dhabi, to the door of the festival hotel Fairmont Bab-Al-Bar, whose qualities I won't elaborate on, though I am tempted. Suffice to say it was amazing. Looking out my hotel window (photo), seeing the beauty of the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque got me thinking of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. I most certainly was NOT in Kansas anymore. And visiting the mosque felt like entering The Emerald City. We (ladies) had to dress up, not to look nice, but to become invisible (photo).
Outdoor cinema
Beauty and luxury aside, the Abu Dhabi festival was definitely worth the trip - our film catch is looking good, something you'll discover when we release the TIFF program in January. Though the program and hospitality was excellent, the climate was diametrically opposite, at least for my taste. The abu dhabians generally choose to overcompensate for the heat, so the theatres were so chilled that this well-prepared festival goer had to pull out her handy air conditioning protection blanket. It struck me that this was almost like being in Spitsbergen, only exactly the opposite. Up there they run inside to find shelter from the cold, in Abu Dhabi they do the same for relief from the heat. And just like in Spitsbergen, the Emirates are populated by people from all over the world. The festival staff was also a world map in miniature. And along the lines of similarity, just like at our own festival in Tromsø, Abu Dhabi had an outdoor cinema. That's where the resemblance ends. While we dress up in warm winter clothes to go to our outdoor snow cinema, it was obviously extremely uncomfortable sitting outside in the heat. It's all part of the site specific experience. And you know - you have to feel the heat!
Optimism
For an eco geek as yours truly, it was hard to swallow the fact that gas is cheaper than water in the Emirates - with all the consequences this implies (five car families, for example). That aside, it was exciting being in an Arab country at such a time in history, feeling the excitement around the recent political changes in the region. The panel debate "The Arab Spring's effect on filmmaking" left quite an optimistic impression, combined with a humble recognition of the paid price of human lives and suffering. All agreed on the fact that the most important effect so far is the gratitude to those who dared to actually record the dramatic events with their cell phones, thus spreading these important images to the world. As usual when leaving a good festival, no matter how many films I've seen, I feel there also were some that I missed. I got on the plane feeling I missed something. That's okay. It's good to feel hungry sometimes, too.
- Martha