Hi, nice to make your acquaintance :) Thanks, there’s a number of great film organizations which have very eclectic programming (i.e. the Berkeley PFA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco Cinematheque) as well as Canyon Cinema which something of a historical film co-op (started in the 60s by Chick Strand and Bruce Baillie). If you ever plan on dropping by, let me know and I’ll alert you to what screenings are going on!
I see on your profile that you’re in Sydney, I closest I’ve ever been was when I went to Auckland on a holiday trip with my family several years ago. Are there any good museums/cinematheques/film groups in your area?
Yeah, that doesn’t sound too bad at all, I’m a big fan of Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Are they screening 35mm prints or DCPs of his work? I’ve never been to London but I’ve heard great things about it, like the BFI Southbank, LUX, Tate, etc. This map can sometimes be out of date but there’s a pretty big cluster of venues in the London area.
Unfortunately I’ve never lived anywhere outside of California long enough to get a really good sense of the film culture in other places but there’s certainly other places I’ve read/heard about having great film cultures. In the U.S., the three central hubs seem to be New York, California (split between the Bay and L.A.), and Chicago. There’s other areas scattered across the U.S. but, to my knowledge, those three are the most well-rounded in terms of offering contemporary arthouse, (some) foreign releases, and repertory theaters (along with retrospectives of famous directors). I’m also aware of there being a rich experimental film culture spread across Canada and in Barcelona, Spain. The best place outside of the U.S. that I’ve personally visited though would probably be Paris - lots of amazing museums, video labels, and theaters. One funny memory I have is walking to a theater to watch Godard’s Adieu au langage and being shocked to see a video store along the way with some Editions Montparnasse Straub-Huillet DVDs in the storefront window.
Yes, we drove all around the North Island actually, going down past Hamilton, Wanganu, all the way down to Wellington and then back up on the other side past Hastings, Whakatane, and Tauranga. I was pretty much by my family’s side the whole trip so there wasn’t any time to explore film related things (plus I wasn't really aware of there being any) but it was still a really fantastic trip.
Hey, sorry I took so long to respond. Life’s been busy so I haven’t been around here much. That’s too bad that London didn’t live up to its cinephila promises, perhaps it was just a dry season? When I eventually make the trip there, I’ll be sure to mark down the Close-Up Centre as one of my stops! Do you remember which films you saw while you were visiting there?
Haha, I’m not familiar with Dalston but based on your description, I’m picturing something like this? I’m not a fan of that kind of look but I see similar fashion styles in the Bay as well (mainly in San Fran and Berkeley); I figure as long as they’re respectful of the films, it’s not too big a deal but maybe in Dalston it’s different, lol.
Wellington was very nice although we were only passing through and didn’t stay for very long. I wished we could have stayed longer and explored the area more, I honestly have trouble separating some of the cities in my mind now since we covered so much ground in only a few days.
Hey Max, Ritrovato this year is wonderful! I went last year for the first time because it came just one week after a trip to Bologna for other PhD stuff and loved it so much I planned to make it an annual excursion. It's really a cinephile's paradise, even if there is slightly less of a buzz this year (more film industry professionals in attendance, 'networking', and a bit less enthusiastic spectators). On the upside, there's less DCP here than last year, at least of the screenings I've attended. Anyway, I couldn't recommend it enough for you for next year. I've only catalogued a fraction of what I've seen so far but the films and the food have all been fantastic. I hope to meet Ivan/chodus at the Nicole Védrès retrospective in a few days so maybe he can offer even more in the way of positive testimony!
Thanks, there’s a number of great film organizations which have very eclectic programming (i.e. the Berkeley PFA, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco Cinematheque) as well as Canyon Cinema which something of a historical film co-op (started in the 60s by Chick Strand and Bruce Baillie). If you ever plan on dropping by, let me know and I’ll alert you to what screenings are going on!
I see on your profile that you’re in Sydney, I closest I’ve ever been was when I went to Auckland on a holiday trip with my family several years ago. Are there any good museums/cinematheques/film groups in your area?
Unfortunately I’ve never lived anywhere outside of California long enough to get a really good sense of the film culture in other places but there’s certainly other places I’ve read/heard about having great film cultures. In the U.S., the three central hubs seem to be New York, California (split between the Bay and L.A.), and Chicago. There’s other areas scattered across the U.S. but, to my knowledge, those three are the most well-rounded in terms of offering contemporary arthouse, (some) foreign releases, and repertory theaters (along with retrospectives of famous directors). I’m also aware of there being a rich experimental film culture spread across Canada and in Barcelona, Spain. The best place outside of the U.S. that I’ve personally visited though would probably be Paris - lots of amazing museums, video labels, and theaters. One funny memory I have is walking to a theater to watch Godard’s Adieu au langage and being shocked to see a video store along the way with some Editions Montparnasse Straub-Huillet DVDs in the storefront window.
Yes, we drove all around the North Island actually, going down past Hamilton, Wanganu, all the way down to Wellington and then back up on the other side past Hastings, Whakatane, and Tauranga. I was pretty much by my family’s side the whole trip so there wasn’t any time to explore film related things (plus I wasn't really aware of there being any) but it was still a really fantastic trip.
Haha, I’m not familiar with Dalston but based on your description, I’m picturing something like this? I’m not a fan of that kind of look but I see similar fashion styles in the Bay as well (mainly in San Fran and Berkeley); I figure as long as they’re respectful of the films, it’s not too big a deal but maybe in Dalston it’s different, lol.
Wellington was very nice although we were only passing through and didn’t stay for very long. I wished we could have stayed longer and explored the area more, I honestly have trouble separating some of the cities in my mind now since we covered so much ground in only a few days.