Nordisk Panorama Film Festival in Malmø
… started yesterday with – as usual – a rich programme, the 36th edition, wow, some of the festival participants who walk into the lobby of the Scandic Hotel, where the reception is, were not born when the festival started… I was and I think I was at the first edition and for sure I have been to more than 20 of the 36 editions, maybe more!
Anyway, the decision to have the festival every year in Malmø has proved to the right one. It takes time to build a local audience but according to programmer Cecilia Lidin and Executive director Heidi Elise Christensen there is an audience that is local and not coming to the festival for professional reasons. They come for the films. Well done.
I arrived this morning, will view and write about a couple of films, attend some events and watch and listen to the Forum that is on monday and tuesday.
Recommendations from the “Best Nordic Documentary” competition programme, of films that have been reviewed on this site:
Robin Petré’s “Only on Earth: “Look at the photo… A douce painting by Edgar Degas, for me the first true documentarian? No, an edited still from a Danish documentary – coproduced with a Spanish company – directed by Robin Petré and with Ecuadorian cameraperson María Goya Barquet behind the camera. I became curious to know more about the latter, went to her website that with photos immediately proved a special talent for giving images an extraordinary poetic stamp that appeals to someone like me, who again and again stresses that documentaries are Films…” Quote from the review.
Christian Sønderby Jepsen’s “The Father, the Sons and the Holy Spirit”…”Der er Andreas, Christian og mig, Henrik og min far og min mor og min hustru. Alle drikker.” Det siger fortælleren. Det er altså personerne, og han er en af dem, hovedpersonen, første person, ental, og jeg er inde i et familiedrama, i gang med at lytte til og iagttage en sørgelig historie, og det er disse mennesker, jeg skal være sammen med en film lang. Jeg har problemer med at holde mig fast, for jeg kan ikke holde med, ikke identificere mig, ikke forelske mig, jeg kan ikke holde det ud. Jeg stødes fra, hvor jeg skulle trækkes ind og opsluges. Og jeg kan ikke bare afvise filmen, jeg får mistanke til mig selv, til mine evner til at udfylde min rolle, min opgave. Den at være publikum, som her viser sig som et ansvar. Først og fremmest gæstens ansvar, jeg skal være høflig og forstående og accepterende, jeg er i et fremmed land, hos et besynderligt folk, som opfører sig særegent, som taler et anderledes sprog. Men jeg er anfægtet og jeg kommer i tvivl. Jeg holder filmen ude fra mig, undrende… Citat fra min afdøde kollega Allan Bergs tekst om “Testamentet”, som han skrev I 2013. Jeg afslutter anmeldelsen med at bruge Allans ord om den nye film, fortsættelsen af “Testamentet”: FREMRAGENDE.
Areeb Zuaiter’s “Yalla Parkour”…”…Ahmed is sooo good for the film. Charming, natural in front of the Camera, (trying to) turning pain into happiness. And as a parkourist quite close to losing his mobility as he shows Areeb some videos, where his jumping made him end on his head…Of course you can´t help – when watching the film – think about Gaza today BUT as a well composed sometimes painful, sometimes joyful I enjoyed the film that also catches the Palestinian soul and I hope for the best for Ahmed and his parkourist teammates and his family, where ever they are.”
3 out of 12 competing films, I will be back with reviews on some of the remaining films in that category. And the best recommendation I can give: Go to the cinema, watch films on the big screen together with people from Malmø and abroad.
