Cucalorus Reflection



I was only able to attend 3 screenings (I bought 4 passes) because this week was incredibly busy for me, I was barely even able to go to these three screenings. I experienced mixed emotions for the three events I went to but definitely had some positive experiences.

I did intend to engage with more people around me but due to time constraints and being mentally distracted with the other things I'm working on I kind of just went to the screenings and left. Other than that, I was hoping to see some unique, well made films, which I did see a few. 

On Friday night I went to Lords of Chaos, the only feature length film I saw at Cucalorus. I enjoyed it overall but felt like it had a little too much gore and violence - and I'm pretty used to that stuff. A few people were exiting the theater when they realized what kind of film it was. The other two screenings I saw were the Fiddlehead and Jackfruit short film screenings. I felt very mixed about the films at the former (I didn't realize going in that the target audience for these was kids) but thoroughly enjoyed the Jackfruit screening which was super weird and mostly pretty awesome. It was definitely my favorite experience, most of the films had something new and innovative to offer, even if some were still better than others. It's hard to say which of the films in it were my favorite, but I would probably have to go with "Free Yoga week." 

I was surprised by how disjointed and small the different screenings felt. When I heard the words "film festival" I pictured some type of small fair or a movie theater with multiple screenings happening simultaneously. At the shows I went to there were a lot less people than I expected, definitely less than what you would have at a typical theater showing a blockbuster in the evening. 

I know if I was a film maker showing my film at Cucalorus I know I would be extremely nervous, even in front of a fairly small audience like the ones I saw. In general I'm pretty sensitive and critical about my own work. I hope to be in this position some day though, and I definitely commend everyone who stands up there and does that, I know it can't be easy showing something you've spent hours on in front of a bunch of people.
What did I learn as a film maker? Nothing that I am aware of, after seeing just three screenings. There was definitely some really cool cinematic techniques on display but as of right now I can't pinpoint anything in particular that I learned from seeing them. I think every film we see though enters our psyche on some level and influences things we make in the future in subtle ways that we don't necessarily realize.

Overall, I'm sorry that Cucalorus had to happen on this week in particular. If it was happening this week instead, I would be able to attend much more and be more fully present and get more out of the experience.

About the pictures: I only have a picture of one venue,
but if anyone thinks I didn't go to the three screenings I said that I did I will gladly describe everything in explicit detail about the venues and films that I saw. I forgot/didn't realize that I was supposed to take a picture of myself holding the passes. But not only can I describe the venues in exact detail, I can also describe the people that were working there and that I saw in the screenings.

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