Bird's Eye View

Favourite Festival Moment?

Still on a mission to report back from the festival (yes those remaining videos will be coming soon!) I asked the team to tell us their favourite moment, which as you can imagine is a rather tough challenge when you were around for the entire stretch of 9 days and went to so many super dooper events and talked to lots of very charming inspiring people  – just where to begin??…

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Proof that I was at Last Laugh, and er, laughing of course

Me: Well apart from meeting all the amazing filmmakers, musicians and guests at the festival and pestering some of them on camera to put up on the blog  – Mary Harron, Sally Hawkins, Gurinder Chadha, Nicolette Krebitz, Franny Armstrong, Bishi, Immodesty Blaize, Andrea Riseborough, Hayley Atwell, Bert and Bertie, Plaster of Paris, Zina Saro-Wiwa… I’d say one of the best bits was the Last Laugh evening – I showed my short film amongst some really admirable comic talent (on and off screen, and in the audience), laughed my head off (not just at my film, that would be wrong) and was particularly excited and inspired by Joanna Neary and her completly absorbing silly character performances. She’s ace. And the other best bit by far was meeting Sally Phillips, who I near idolise, and I actually felt the pointy heels of my shoes physically shaking uncontrollably, when I said goodbye to her…

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Franny Armstrong, director of The Age of Stupid

Toyin: OK, I guess my favourite part of the festival was meeting all the amazing film-makers such as Harry Wootliff (my new-found idol – she has my number!!!), Franny Armstrong and Hattie Dalton. I also managed to meet the legendary Mary Harron, we had a great in-depth conversation about the traffic from her hotel to the ICA – friends for life!!! (could I have been more of a gooning loser!). I was also Gurinder Chadha‘s brief waitress, it was amazing – I should have kept the glass but I guess that would have been borderline psycho. But on a serious note, the whole vibe of the festival was great the fact that EVERYONE enjoyed themselves was even better. Oh oh, the Last Laugh comedy night was amazing too, all the acts were fantastic and the comedy shorts were great.

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Tamsyn: My best moment was the Opening Night. Although I had a fantastic time throughout the Festival and got the opportunity to meet fantastic filmmakers from across the world, the opening night selection of short films was one part of the programme that I hadn’t watched in the run up to the Festival and I was blown away by the standard and calibre of the films.

Tamsyn enjoying the front row view at the Opening Night

It was also great to look out at the audience and see the fantastic diverse group of people who had all come together to celebrate the start of another BEV festival plus I got to meet Mary Harron, Hayley Atwell, Sally Hawkins and Gurinder Chandha. I met many of the faithful BEV fans who were incredibly complimentary and excited about this year’s programme plus an entire new group of BEV supporters who were coming to the Festival for the first time, knowing that they were going to have a fantastic and unique night. Not bad for a start!

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Rachel: Meeting Mary Harron and having the chance to talk in depth about her work in the masterclass was hugely inspiring. Her strength of vision and clarity, combined with a real down-to-earth softness was fantastic.

Rachel hosts the Q&A with director Mary Harron

I loved talking about Bettie Page with her – realising what fascinated her about the story and what motivated her to tell it in the way she did – and her awareness that this wasn’t the way that most people had wanted her to tell it. Really hit home the vulnerability of being a film director, and the complexity of talent required to *really hit it. I also *adored taking the Q&A for The Time of Their Lives and meeting the amazing Hetty (103) and Alison (89) – they were awesome! The film makes me cry buckets and meeting these women who are all set to leave this life was incredibly affecting. Ummm… and I have to say how much I dug(!) the live music commissions to silent film – Bishi was *spectacular, Natalie Clein was a musical phenomenon – truly and fabulously world class – responding to the film with every phrase – really quite mindblowing. Oh and there is so much more… having Janet Ellis, my childhood Blue Peter heroine say she found BEV inspiring was like getting the biggest Blue Peter badge ever (and I never did get one) so that was a happy happy end (and discovering that Zina Saro Wiwa, who is the exact same age as me, was equally as in awe of Janet also made the night!). We’ll all be jumping out of aeroplanes soon…

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Hetty and her daughter

Holly: Meeting one hundred and three year old Hetty from The Time Of Their Lives was my festival highlight. I conducted a wonderful interview with her and her daughter, in which she was ardent that a message of peace needed to be spread throughout the world. She was also sporting a very chic grey felt hat and coat combo – style doesn’t go out the window after the age of one hundred! Other than that, I was incredibly jealous of all those that were present at the Natalie Clein Live Music Silent Film event. She played an astonishing set by all accounts, and I can only hope that she returns to Birds Eye View next year. It was also good to hear such positive feedback from the teenagers that attending the screening of Grown Ups. We have lots of motivated future filmmakers in our midst!

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Emma meets her comedy hero Julia Davis

Emma: Meeting Julia Davis of Nighty Night and Human Remains was a particular highlight as she is possibly one the funniest people I can think of, as well as the range of talent and diverse events made Birds Eye View 2009 such a pioneering festival. All very close-knit I was inspired greatly by the Britdoc masterclass and the passion of the speakers. I loved dipping into the documentaries, and their different styles, subjects and voices – telling their own stories from their unique perspectives. I always think the elderly are great on film, which transpired fantastically in The Times of their Lives and at both Q&A sections I attended where they talked to audiences of different ages. Alison at one point stated, ‘I rather liked my husband…because I think we got each others jokes, and if there is an afterlife, although I’m not sure if there is an afterlife or not, but if there is an afterlife, I’d think he’d be rather lonely as no-one would understand his jokes.’ Every festival I go acts as an inspiration to get thinking and get shooting, and Birds Eye View has been another brilliant platform for that. It is not only the films and the workshops, but also the people around and that sense of shared interest and shared passion be it a particular genre or style or just the love of film itself. Even if I did scare Julia half to death.

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Bishi sings at Salome

Jennifer: Okey doke. One of the highlights of the festival for me was Salome. Bishi’s performance sat perfectly against Alla Nazimova’s mesmeric heroine. The juxtaposition of the two women, rather than simply contrasting the old against the new, highlighted how both artists are true avant-gardes of their respective ages. Importantly the event in-itself was also innovative, and in fusing two performances, the outcome was arguably greater than it’s parts. Another tip- top part of the festival has to be the Last Laugh Comedy Night, which although I must admit I did organise myself, was rather splendid. It was brilliant to have the dream team of Jane Bussman, Andi Osho and Jo Neary helping turn a civilised audience into a load of cackling hyenas.

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What was your favourite festival moment? We’re again asking you to comment and let us know your highlight that sums up your best experience whilst you were at the Birds Eye View film festival and in return, a lucky winner will receive a festival goody bag. OOOooohhh…