It seems ridiculously too soon, but Encounters is over, and so are the Fresh Flix screenings and workshops. Nonetheless, I’m pretty glad I got to work on these events, have a look behind the scenes of Encounters and generally get all inspired.
The ‘Shoot From The Hip’ selection was screened on Wednesday 18th and Saturday 21st September, and for both screenings, my role was to give a bit of context about the Future Producers and the programme of films, and then host the Q&A sessions afterwards – with support from Hannah, and after some Q&A coaching from Gaia. Nida Manzoor, director of Arcade, and Kira Richards Hansen, director of Damn Girl, took part in both sessions, and Britta Wandaogo, director of Crocodiles Without Saddles, joined us on Saturday. It was great to see the films and the running order we chose successfully play out on the big screen – The Beast created a feral, brittle atmosphere, and Damn Girl continued the uneasy mood, but in an urban, graffiti-strewn landscape. Arcade broke the tension perfectly in the middle of the programme, adding a shot of lurid energy, before Eating Lunch and its uncomfortably visceral subject matter. Crocodiles Without Saddles got a lot of laughs and brought the screening to a well-rounded close with Kaddi’s honest, bittersweet story.
The first screening, in Cinema 1, was full of school and university groups, and after asking a couple of questions myself, I opened it up to the audience, who put some interesting questions to both filmmakers. The Saturday screening, in Cinema 3, was more intimate, and had a slightly less forthcoming audience, but several people did have questions. Part of the fun was getting to ask the filmmakers some questions I was keen to know the answers to – I quizzed Britta on the crocodiles (apparently they’re the mascots of the Wandaogo family), Nida on Arcade’s influences (a whole lot of pop culture) and Kira on what it was like to work with such a young cast (ultimately, educational – especially regarding the effects of too much cake).
The whole experience was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking, and left me wanting to do it all over again – so hopefully I’ll be able to do something similar in the future. Best of luck to everyone whose projects are yet to come, I know they’re going to be excellent!