Film Spa’s documentary first introduced me to the Kalvary Vary International Film Festival, it caught my attention on what inspired KVIFF. Cerise Howard’s report on the 54th KVIFF shares on how KVIFF has its own cultural heritage. Howard (2020) mentioned some of the liberated films being presented in 35mm print, which is a unique thing of the past. Despite the conditions of such film strips which made people worried, it was indeed a success. Such sentimental value helps raise awareness on the importance of these artefacts. Let’s all admit that the 35mm proved a point – it was (or still is) the most successful piece of history in the representation of the film industry.
In Jesssica Kiang’s report on the 2020 Berlin Festival, Kiang (2020) mentions that the festival had a solid balance between the past and present which had 3 sections – Panaroma, Forum, Encounters. The forum showed 28 highlights from the past 5 decades, leading to the issue of new directors not catching the spotlight. While the Encounters was designed to be a stage for films that are not getting quite up there and are being helped to make it more competitive. By this, new directors get involved with the festival and be more creative in their filmmaking process. However, there is no doubt typical film festivals should have this part of their program in order to keep up with the current world.
Reference:
Kiang, J., 2020. Berlinale 2020 Report: A Slow Turn, With Bumps | Sight & Sound. [online] British Film Institute. <https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/festivals/berlinale-2020-report-slow-change-new-directions> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
Howard, C., 2020. Of Liberation, And Of States Of Undress And Redress Both: The 54Th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. [online] Senses of Cinema. Available at: <http://sensesofcinema.com/2019/festival-reports/of-liberation-and-of-states-of-undress-and-redress-both-the-54th-karlovy-vary-international-film-festival/> [Accessed 19 April 2020].