by Barry » Sun Dec 01, 2013 4:16 pm
Day 5 and 6
It’s hard, as I sit in the airport facing the epic journey home, to make sense of this last week. It has been truly special, and I’m hoping that my contributions to the festival have been worth while. My workshop was three hours long and I crammed so many thoughts and ideas into it, but I’m still overflowing with more. I talked about why we tell stories, what stories are, what puppets are, enjoying the artifice, but I didn’t talk much about the exact technique or such, or precisely how the films got made. But I didn’t pause for breath. I feel a little guilty that I spent much of the time in beautiful restaurants and on a boat or watching films. Ah well I was on the jury and we did work hard to make the right decisions – and I believe we did make the right decisions. Some truly great and innovative films. And the film we chose as the best, Boles, may not change the world but it simply worked in every department and was beautiful and hugely satisfying. But it was the people I will take away with me, such warmth, and I think they all expected a rather stand-offish gent they wouldn’t be able to talk to. I don’t think they expected anyone who would just muck in and be happy chatting away. I laugh that I took a suit and tie – what was I thinking. Vanity foregone certainly. Hair just sticks out and shirts just get crumpled in the heat. That’s it. Stop motion has much to do with the friendliness of everyone, but I can’t recall being hugged so often nor so many photographs being taken nor so many autographs, and beautiful letters written to me and sneaked into my hand as I left. And yes there were tears. This is hard to reconcile with the indifference of my more real life but there we go. It has been an exceptional week, and I thank Ana Farache and her lovely team for getting me there. I hope I gave enough to justify their efforts. Back home to the cold - time to put the shorts away and get on with things. What a crazy month.