Only a couple of days left. I dash out of the house to catch my first screening of the day and realise I've forgotten the sacred press pass. Fortunately the manager recognises me. Some delegate in the seat behind me shuggles my seat, arranging and rearranging his feet. After an hour I move. One expects press to be better behaved but it doesn't always happen. Like when they walk in late. Press at least know there are no adverts and trailers - no excuses.
After the movie, I head down to the Delegate Centre and catch up on some Shorts in the videoteque (the Shorts Awards are announced tonight and I'd like to catch at least some highlights - read about the winners). I enjoyed Shell, about a garage attendant in some remote part of Scotland; admired the acting in Dog Altogether, Paddy Considine's directorial debut (Peter Mullan is never less than awesome) but found the message worrying; Soft was just downright nasty and funny at the same time.
One of the distracting things about the videoteque can be if the person next to you has a more interesting looking film on their DVD/headphones. Half an hour later, and the temptingly nearby Razzle Dazzle screener is free, which provides some nice light entertainment.
I check through the list - hopefully we have just about all the features covered and reviews in the pipeline for any not already on the website. Grab some tickets for public screenings tomorrow of ones I've still not seen. Blind Mountain looks particularly interesting.
I get home and eat before falling asleep as my laptop recharges next to me. Most of the Eyeforfilm staff are off for drinkies, and the announcement of the Shorts Winners. My bones ache too much. It's been a great festival so far and I need some energy left for the final weekend.
Who will win the Audience Award? Tomorrow will see. Today's ranking is:
- Ratatouille (
) - In The Shadow Of The Moon
- The Counterfeiters ()
- Control ()
- Special People ()
- Knocked Up ()
- Stardust (
) - Death Proof ()
- And When Did You Last See Your Father? ()
- Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle ()
Tomorrow sees the winners of the Features categories announced just after midday. We'll bring you the news in the Diary if not before. It also is time for the Closing Gala: a whirlwind of delight in the form of 2 Days in Paris (whose star and director, Julie Delpy, is doing a special event at Cineworld on Sunday). But for night owls and insatiables, there are still late night nasties available and a whole day of Best of the Fest.
Many of the featured films are also on general release in the next few months. Here's a selection:
August 31st
September
- 14th The Serpent
- 14th Legacy
- 21st Death Proof
- 21st Yella
- 21st A Mighty Heart
- 28th Rocket Science
- Seachd (date to be confirmed)
October
- 5th The Kingdom
- 5th Control
- 5th And When Did You Last See Your Father?
- 5th Day Watch
- 12th Ratatouille
- 19th Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance
- 19th Once
- 19th Blame It On Fidel
- 19th The Witnesses
- 19th Stardust
November
- 2nd In The Shadow Of The Moon
- 2nd Paranoid Park
- 16th Weirdsville
- 16th Shrooms
