BIAFF 2022

A forum for sharing views on the art of film, video and AV sequence making as well as on competitions, judging and festivals.
Ken Wilson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Ken Wilson »

Hi Tim and all the rest of you posting here. I wanted to post some thoughts about BIAFF, the films, the company and all the rest, but so far have had lots going on. It can often be that there is so much to say about an event that it prevents me writing a short message, so here it is for now. I will write a longer one in due course.
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Howard-Smith
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Howard-Smith »

In September 2021 I said this on the forum:
“I hope that everyone else is as excited and enthusiastic about BIAFF 2022 as I am!”
In the end my enthusiasm was muted because of what Tim alluded to in his latest email.
I remember the weekend with a mixture of emotions. I loved David Brezina’s films. Generally there was the usual mixture of good, excellent, bizarre, inventive, innovative and downright baffling films. As has been mentioned elsewhere there was one particular film that I won’t name here that stuck out like a sore thumb as not being worth showing.
I loved the fact that BIAFF returned as a live event and that socialising with old BIAFF friends in person was once again possible.
But, and this is definitely the last time I shall refer to the matter, I will never get over my disappointment that none of my six 4 star films was shown at the BIAFF weekend. Having a film shown online on Tuesday evening just isn’t the same and nobody can persuade me otherwise.
Michael Slowe
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Michael Slowe »

Oh Howard, didn't they show any of your films, why you didn't mention that before?
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Howard-Smith
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Howard-Smith »

:lol:
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Martin Evans
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Martin Evans »

Michael Slowe wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 5:34 pm Martin, how can it be the "stand out film" for you if you don't understand what's going on? I can appreciate a meaningless film if it looks particularly beautiful, or it contains stimulating montages, but this had neither. Surreal yes, certainly that, but where's the point. I can agree with you on Leap though, well acted, good story, meaningful.
Nobody ever fully understood the end of Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey. Yet decades on those scenes linger in our collective memories. "Face the Music" invoked in me all manner of questions, emotions and feelings. It disturbed and mystified in equal measure. It had a deeply poetic resonance and my opinion is not changed.

For what it's worth, I totally hated the film "Thirst" it came across as an overlong sexual fantasy, and it was the only one out of the whole week's screenings that I wanted to turn off. Also, I couldn't engage at all with "Boellie - Living with Heartache". This left me cold. What that says about me is anyone's guess.

Anyway, it's good that there are disparate views on here - if we all viewed films the same, my mantelpiece would collapse under the weight of all my diamond awards.
Brian Saberton
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Brian Saberton »

I've been very busy since returning from BIAFF and today is the first opportunity I've had to check out these posts which make very interesting reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed this years BIAFF which I think was one of the best and it was great to be at the event in person. I thought the event was very well organised, relaxed and good fun with great camaraderie and plenty of opportunity for some lively discussions. Yes, one or two of the films were a bit obscure but that's normal at the Festival and we are all bound to have different opinions which will inevitably give rise to debates about their merits.

On a humorous note as some of you know my satnav led me a bit astray in the city centre on arrival so when I left to travel home I found my own way back to the M6 which turned out to be much quicker and easier. The satnav wasn't done with me however because, as I drove out of the car park, on it came and kept trying to to get me to turn back. This was because it thought I hadn't finished my journey down when I arrived into Brindley Place! The wonders of modern technology!
Brian Saberton
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TimStannard
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by TimStannard »

Martin Evans wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 8:58 pm
Michael Slowe wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 5:34 pm Martin, how can it be the "stand out film" for you if you don't understand what's going on?
Nobody ever fully understood the end of Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey. Yet decades on those scenes linger in our collective memories.
Good answer to Michael's question.

Personally I couldn't draw the comparison because the first (and major) part of Kubrick's masterpiece is the straightforwartd narrative about man's thirst for exploration and knowledge, particularly of where we have come from. The final section has been interpreted in several ways, but however you look at it we begin with a quest to find an answer and in the process of finding this end up with more, bigger, questions.

"Face the Music" is rather different, in that it gives us (well, me and presumably Michael Slowe) nothing to latch on to in the first place.

It's the sort of film I'd like to see again, possibly several times, but out of curiosity rather than because I'm drawn to it.

Another vote here for "Leap".
Tim
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Dave Watterson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Dave Watterson »

Check out the interview with the maker of FACE THE MUSIC on https://www.biaff.org.uk/2022-interview ... music.html
Michael Slowe
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Michael Slowe »

Well done Jan, I do now have a little bit more idea of what the film means but it is still very obscure. The 'journey through life' does explain the boat trip but as for the musicians, they remain a mystery for me! The film maker comes over awfully well, he's obviously very intelligent and we can look forward to more films to make us think.
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TimStannard
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by TimStannard »

I agree, he's clearly intelligent and the film means something. Perhaps it's a film to be absorbed rather than watched. Having an idea about what inspires it and what it contains definitely helps in my understanding of it (and increases my desire to watch again). However, if I need to have something of it explained in order to get anything from it, I'm not sure it's been entirely successful. Then again, we're not all born with the same intellect and others may have found Noah's explanation obvious. I certainly admire Noah's ability to put his ideas onto film and to overcome several difficulties in doing so.

EDIT: I meant to say I thought there were some really good questions in there, Jan - excellent interviewing, clearly listening to the answers too!
Tim
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Michael Slowe
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Michael Slowe »

Oh, no messing about with Jan, I think that 'the big fellow' has to keep on his toes!
Ken Wilson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Ken Wilson »

Hi everyone. We thought that this years BIAFF was one of the best, if not THE best.
I liked many of the new ideas like the link on Zoom. Also the idea of each film maker present, either live in the theatre or on the Zoom screen being asked to introduce their film and say a little bit about how and why it was made. This was a great idea we should keep, though some extra time needs to be allowed for this in the schedules as breaks over-ran a bit meaning lunch breaks were particularly rushed.

The less formal structure was also to my liking. Simon did a great job running the event from the front and his speech at the dinner, seemed very relaxed and casual and far removed from the way it used to be which I always thought "too stuffy".

The fact that we are all together in the one screen now adds a better atmosphere though at the expense of having space to see fewer films. The 4 mini cinemas were a good idea over the years allowing everyone to choose a programme they fancied seeing. But clearly in recent years numbers have declined, particularly through advancing age and the many people we have lost and often it was embarrassing with a cinema having just 4 or 5 people in the room. Also in the past two years with the pandemic, obviously a number of regulars are still wary of meeting together in close quarters, so having us all together makes sense. How many more we might bring in another year remains to be seen. But the live event is clearly the best way to enjoy the films. Zoom is a reasonable option for those who live too far away or just can`t make it, but the live event is by far the preferable option, even if it does seem a quite expensive weekend overall. But I reason it is just once a year and is the highlight of being a member of the IAC, so it is worth the money to get there.

We had some great conversations with most of you on here like Tim, Jill, Howard, Michael and more and this is a real treat to enjoy hearing the thoughts of other film makers. I didn`t think Michael`s film was too long at all, but it had the advantage of being on first so before the seats became too uncomfortable.

I really liked "Leap" and this would have been a contender for me for the Best British film and I had seen it at the judging too. Also "Memory Man" which was great sci-fi. Particularly emotional was "Two Lives One Journey" which for me topped the other highly emotional film, "Boellie-Living with Heartache" as the former had the personal connection and one many in the room could identify with.

There were the two rather puzzling films mentioned here; "Thirst", clearly a young man`s fantasy film and "Face the Music" which did nothing for me at all. If a film needs explaining afterwards, then it has not succeeded in it`s aims. But there are always a couple of films which fall into this category. But overall we thought there were some really great movies this year and seeing them in a cinema which raked seating, meaning no heads bobbing around as everyone tries to read subtitle was a real plus.

So in summary, a great comeback for the festival weekend and something to think about and build on in future years.
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John Simpson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by John Simpson »

Willy wrote: Thu Apr 28, 2022 12:11 am
"Two Lives in One Journey"
A movie that appealed to me a little more was "Two Lives in One Journey" by Graham Kay. I got tears in my eyes when I saw this wonderfully moving story. Graham delivered the film in a special way. It was not boring at all. He is an elderly cinematographer who earned at least as much applause as anyone else in the Winners' Show. His film was not just a collection of photos about his attractive wife who died of cancer in 2004. It was not accompanied by a dry narration. He had also collected nice film recordings of her and other pleasant things. I also enjoyed Graham's sense of humour. He pointed out, among other things, the beautiful long legs of his bride. I was glued to my online office chair watching Graham's movie from the beginning till the end.
I agree with Willy's post. A well deserved 5 star, and a good film to be kept for the family. Graham Kay's Voice has a poetic ring to it and the words carefully thought about. The whole film is nicely constructed. Because Graham was not afraid to share his emotion, as viewers we could also feel it.
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John Simpson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by John Simpson »

PARTY POPPERZ BACK ON THE ROAD 3 Star

I enjoyed watching this film, the filming reminded me of the BBC comedy "This country". To me it seemed like a very clever spoof, maybe there needed to be more clues that it was not serious - but a big thumbs up from me :D
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Dave Watterson
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Re: BIAFF 2022

Post by Dave Watterson »

How sure are you that it was a spoof?
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