he 39th Auckland International Film Festival programme arrived in the mail a couple of days back. It’s that time of year. (A bittersweet moment: Amit Tripuraneni‘s Five wasn’t selected but there’s Francis Glenday‘s Tumanako Springs to catch.)
A perusal of its 152 glossy pages brings back familiar behaviours, namely:
- excitedly dog-ear-ing a third of the programme because they’re ones that I must see, until –
- a reality check of limited funds means some serious whittling – I hope I can still live with myself with a new list of twenty or so, and then –
- I’m gripped by the realisation that family commitments make the idea of leaving either the Goddess and children, or just the children with a babysitter, for even just ten films (or just over thirty hours in total*) is just asking for trouble, until finally –
- somewhere between three and six sessions are selected and booked.
C’est la vie.
Friend and festival veteran Stevo once sagely advised: use the fest to see something that’s unlikely to return ’cause the big and/or popular productions are bound get general release – and failing that, they’ll eventually make it onto video.
Excellent advice for those with limited funds and/or time.
* Maths in a Minute: based on an average movie running time of 105 minutes, with an additional 90 minutes return-travel and park-finding time – just ten films is a 32.5-hour commitment over the festival’s sixteen-day run.
