And now a little bit of burnout has begun to settle in. I've had QWFF on my mind all this week, to the exclusion of everything else, so maybe it's not all that surprising. Plus the weather, which turned out to be not so terrible. Looking out on the streets right now, you'd barely even recognize that there was a snow storm. So I'm a little worn out, but I'm still looking forward to today's schedule.
Last night I was at the Secret Theatre in Long Island City, and I understand why it's called that: it's so secret I almost couldn't find it. Queens is notorious for its streets with numerous lanes and roads and drives - for instance, there may be a 65th Street, but there may also be a 65th Road, a 65th Drive, a 65th Lane, etc., and it gets annoying after awhile when the address you're trying to find is 65-08 Something Something Avenue. Similar thing here, only I got turned around trying to find where 23rd Street was in LIC. Even natives get lost now and then. And once I found 23rd Street, I almost walked past the venue. One has to go through a parking lot to get there.
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| The building for the Secret Theatre |
Katha Cato was there, running around back and forth trying to maintain order. A quick word about the QWFF director: In the past, I've been responsible for similar public functions, and it's always left me stressed out beyond belief on account of my need to make sure the event runs the way I want it to run. From what I've observed of her (which, admittedly, is limited), not only does Katha manage to keep her poise, but her sense of humor as well - and she deals with much larger numbers of people than I ever have. Even throughout the hectic nature of the lead-up to the block last night, she still spared a couple of minutes for me. I don't know where she gets her energy, but she makes full use of it.
So last night's theme, on what was, I am told, International Women's Day, a block featuring women protagonists. Some of the films were directed as women as well. This was the best block of films I've seen at the fest so far, outside of opening night. These films looked the most polished, while in many cases maintaining a distinct visual flair as well.
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| "Away" |
Blooming Road is about a struggling young medical student and the goody-goody rival who gets on her nerves. Strong storytelling skills combine with good acting and editing to make another tale that left me wanting more at the end.... Noemia is a character sketch of an Amelie-like chick. Nothing in the way of story here, but a cute look at what has the potential to be a lively and memorable character.
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| "A Girl and Her Guardian" |
Just Another Part of Me is a Terry McMillian-like story with a major twist: single black female with man troubles discovers her problems are deeper than she thinks. The twist is clever and original for this kind of story, but regrettably, it's undone by a horribly melodramatic score and an end title that spells out The Message for you so you don't miss it.... Dimension Six is about a couple struggling with alcoholism. The non-linear storytelling proves more effective than I thought at first. It's no Days of Wine and Roses, but for what it is, it's alright.
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| "Vicious Ann" |
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Previously:
Day 1: The old neighborhood
Day 2: The Jackson Five
Day 3: Snow business
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