Sunday, October 29, 2006

suffer for art

Suffering for one's art has many examples of righteous dedication and film makers are by no means immune, nay, there are the best example of this syndrome. But today's film is reminder of the art of suffering in order to bring something special.

The evening was spent watching this year's nominations for the 3rd videojournaism awards - the biggest to date, with some 420 entrants from 42 countries.

The films scrolled by, in part because I paid a visit to the other side of consciousness. Yes, I'm certfiably mashed. But did have the presence of mind to pin my eye lids back long enough to take in a majority.

They're all superb - I'm not being political. A film on alzheimer's was too painful to watch. The wasting illness took my father and I remember the last moments all too vividly. Psychiatric patients in India abandoned by family and friends inspite of some recovering was too short. I wanted more.

Self flagellating voyerism had me sit through my own submission, 8 Days - a thoroughly wierd experience. It's the first time it's been outside my study in its entirety. People laughed.

Sabine, the organiser of this wondrous event asked whether they laughed at the right spots. I confess I never had any right spots, so it was nearly as new to me watching my film on the outside knowing that others were watching it as well.

12.00 and after another night of the long knives, once again my internal clock is beginning to shut down my body's control centre. Grrrrhh

But it's been a resourceful day, topped of with the screening, and a moment of genius visiting a Vietnamese restaurant which had me salivating to near dribbling.

The FILM
Sleeping Rough / Platte machen (WDR) - winner of the special prize of the jury is a must see film for many reasons. It has all the emotions packaged into a tight wrapper which explode slowly in the mouth.

As the name suggests, it's about homelessness, but the VJ team undertaking this story did not parachute in and out. They went through the pain and bitter cold nights with their subjects. It was intimate, open, frank, with at no time the any intruding of the journalists into the story.

It is a film you would want to make, but perhaps may think the cost a tad too high, for it snows, temperatures freeze over and the wretchedness of rough sleeping is evident. please watch this film.

See yer tomorrow

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