The Morning After: An Ode to SFF 2016

By Mary Beth Bainbridge, exhausted organizer

I love Salem Film Fest. The revolving door of work/fest/after-party is exhilarating. But I have to admit the week-long Fest wreaks havoc on my house. The following accurately describes the scene on Friday morning, 11 March 2016.

The kitchen sink will contain exactly one unwashed coffee cup emblazoned with the SFF logo. It is a residual artifact representing the hectic final Fest morning during which I was frantically running about the house preparing for a day at the Fest before heading to work.The fruit bowl will bear no fruit, except for maybe a forgotten brown banana. The bread bin will have turned into a holding cell for a lone piece of spotted bread. The fridge will be void of anything edible. The cupboards will be slim pickings with little more than dilly beans. The plants will be begging for sunlight and water. The overflowing laundry baskets will contain three weeks of dirty laundry. The most recent layer will be my entire collection of Salem Film Fest tees.

The kitchen table will be littered with Fest paraphernalia. My all access pass holder bulging with ticket stubs of films I adored. There will be various postcards of amazing documentaries and business cards from interesting people I met during the week. Of course, a few stray SFF buttons will be scattered about the pile. My new Salem Film Fest tote bag will be slung over a chair, filled with some Fest posters. The tired laptop will be out of juice, having sent one last email to a friend asking if she wants to attend a narrative film Friday night.

There will be one pristine copy of the program book for my archives proudly sitting on the counter. And there will be one tattered program book dutifully serving as my bible for the Fest. This essential guidebook will be marked with logistical details, color-coded highlights, and scribbled notes. This bound cheat sheet will reveal phonetic name spellings for intros, underline essential story moments to lead q+a, and a binder clip in the front holding vital Fest information such as filmmaker arrivals. The cover of this lifeline will be tagged with a sticker or two and become a jumping point for post-Fest discussions.

I will not be present at this post-Fest scene, at least, not in any conscious way. My faithful alarm clock will be mercifully silenced. The window shades will be drawn down tight. And I will be happily exhausted and tucked in bed, gratefully sleeping past any hour definedas morning. Salem Film Fest 2016 slowly becoming a distant memory.

Community spirit kicked off SFF 2016 at Old Town Hall

By John Andrews

It has the feel of a high school reunion. Dancing Don is in the house with his movie watching jacket busting some crazy moves as Brian and Jeff perform their special brand of music in the heart of Downtown Salem as anticipation builds for the 2016 Salem Film Fest.

The annual kick off to the festival brought together volunteers, organizers, movie lovers and supporters of the festival into Old Town Hall for a cocktail reception sponsored by the Salem Chamber of Commerce preceding opening night film, CURIOUS WORLDS: The Art & Imagination of David Beck, which had its Massachusetts Premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Nibbles and bites from some of the festival's wonderful sponsors, including a HUGE amount of pastries from fan favorite Coffee Time Bakery. Local legend Bill Legault pours beverages and volunteers greet VIPS and guests with freshly minted guidebooks.

Everyone in this room loves and supports Salem Film Fest and as the festival heads into it’s 10th edition next year, the crowd grows larger and larger!

The age of discovery: ENTER THE FAUN co-director Daisy Wright at The Phoenix School

By Mary Beth Bainbridge, explorer

We love it when filmmakers can attend Salem Film Fest, and we were fortunate that Daisy Wright and Tamar Rogoff, co-directors of ENTER THE FAUN were able to make the trip to Salem to present their film.

It is also wonderful when we have an opportunity to do community outreach with visiting filmmakers. Tamar led a movement workshop at Peabody Essex Museum on Sunday and on Monday, Daisy met with students at The Phoenix School - I tagged along out of curiosity.

The Phoenix School has an open floor plan; the K-8 grade students are in one classroom. Daisy discussed making the documentary, the economic challenges of being an independent documentary filmmaker, and the journey of the film since its release on the fest circuit. One particular topic of interest was the process of naming a film and how difficult it is to reach a compromise.

The students questions were so well articulated, it was obvious they had done some research in preparation for Daisy’s visit. As I listenedto the hour-long discussion, I had to keep reminding myself that these young people were not even high school age! These kids have firsthand knowledge of documentary filmmaking thanks to Joe Cultrera and Perry Hallinan. Two years ago Joe, Perry, and the students created two Salem Sketches for Salem Film Fest 2014. They did everything required to make a film: developing story ideas, filming on location, and writing a script for interviews.

Daisy stressed the importance of thinking outside of the box. ENTER THE FAUN shows us how we can reach beyond the usual ways of thinking about physical abilities. The morning with Daisy and these inquiring minds reminded me that learning has no age limit.

Celebrating life with TWILIGHT OF A LIFE director Sylvain Biegeleisen

By Jeff Schmidt, Program Director, Salem Film Fest

The final film of Salem Film Fest 2016, TWILIGHT OF A LIFE, is a beautiful and intimate glimpse at the relationship between director Sylvain Biegeleisen and his 95 year-old mother.  After being informed by a doctor that she doesn't have much time left to live, mother and son decide to celebrate life, rather than mourn death.  Biegeleisen picks up a camera and documents their conversations and interaction, while the film that emerges is both heartwarming and at times, sidesplittingly funny.

JS: Making a personal film can either be incredibly hard or incredibly liberating - what was your experience with TWILIGHT OF A LIFE?

SB: In the beginning, I had no idea that there would one day be a film! Only when I started to shoot sequences, after a few month I understood my personal story was in fact a universal story that could reach anyone! Since TWILIGHT OF A LIFE is an incredible journey full of wisdom and humor, it was more of a creative liberating experience.

JS: Was there a particular moment with your mother that you decided you needed to make the film?

SB: After showing sequences to my sensitive and talented editor Joelle Alexis, her reactions gave me the push to decide to do a film out of my experience.  I shot 80 hours of footage. I knew that part of it was very intimate and had no place in the future film. But a lot of sequences were very moving, emotionally. It was like traveling back in time, experiencing again the essence of what happened between my mother and myself. Today, when I watch the film, it is like going back to school, the School of Life, and learning again and again pearls of wisdom from my 95 year-old mother.

JS: The intimacy of the film is beautiful and your choice to show the film in black and white, rather than color seems to really accentuate that - what was your creative thought process in making the film?

SB: It was Joelle's idea in the editing room. She proposed it to me and I loved the idea of B&W. My idea was to add color to the landscape sequences, to have a touch of poetry! B&W is in itself, in my eyes, very artistic. Today, everything is full of colors. Even my film, the TV version is in color because broadcast stations do not want to have complaints that something is wrong with their TV. It's a pity, because people are clever and sensitive enough to enjoy Art and B&W. But, broadcasters are afraid and prefer color items. Until today around 20,000 people saw the film in 15 Festivals and screenings: all of them enjoyed the B&W - so it works! ​

JS: It's a film that is "openly private" - as the audience eavesdrops on your relationship and intimate moments shared - can you talk about what you felt was important to share in the film?

SB: It is mainly a natural relationship experience with my mother. Nothing premeditated. Just the two of us for an intimate true journey, the camera in one hand, my guitar in the other. That's why from time to time, I burned the potatoes or the fish...What touches the audiences all over the world (the film was already in more that 15 Festivals + 8 awards) is the "universal" aspect of our Mother-Son relationship, the love that flows between us, the joy just being together in little simple profound moments. Each person in the audience can take something personal from the film and, like a seed, plant it in his own Garden of Life.

JS: I was saddened to hear that your mother has passed away, was she able to see the completed film?  If not, what do you think she would say about it?

SB: She did not see the film but she is surely proud, somewhere between the stars, of what the film is doing to people. And she is maybe laughing knowing that I might, some day in the future, maybe earn some money out of it. But the most important thing I am proud of is the fact that people see in her a model of "woman" with character, tenderness, humor, spirit. At my eyes, she had the character of Margaret Thatcher or Golda Meyer, but was a simple woman caring for a healthy "house." Behind millions of women like my mother, there is a hidden "wisdom." To them, I dedicate the film.

TWILIGHT OF A LIFE is the closing night film of Salem Film Fest 2016, and screens at the Peabody Essex Museum on Thursday, March 10 at 8pm.

Interview with BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF STICKY RICE director Daan Veldhuizen

By Jeff Schmidt, Program Director, Salem Film Fest

We were first introduced to Daan Veldhuizen, when his film STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH was awarded the first American Cinematographer Magazine Award for Cinematography at SFF 2012.  In that film, Veldhuizen explored Sierre Leone and the people of a small coastal village.  In his new film, BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF THE STICKY RICE, we are transported to a village in Laos where an influx of tourists seeking solitude collides with its inhabitants.

JS: We screened STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH at SFF 2012, in some ways BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF STICKY RICE will remind our audience of your earlier film, can you talk about your filmmaking approach in each of those films - similarities and differences?

DV: Yes, both films are based around a small village in a remote corner of the world, following inhabitants in their daily lives. With BANANA PANCAKES I wanted to make a film with a similar feel as STORIES, but take the story a couple of steps further and use the observations of what we consider an exotic culture, as a mirror to look at my own culture and ultimately at myself.During one of the interviews in STORIES FROM LAKKA BEACH, I ask a woman to describe the foreigners that visited her village before the civil war. The way that she stereotyped Americans, Europeans and Russians was spot on and identical to how we stereotype Africans, Arabics or Asians. I realized the potential of what you could call reversed exotism; to look at myself through the eyes of the other. This, together with the paradox of modern tourism, are the driving forces behind BANANA PANCAKES.

JS: Why did you decide to shoot in a Buddhist country?

DV: To me this film is a lot about desire; the tourists dream about a simpler and more natural life, while the Laotians long for development and modernity. It is a typical case of the grass seeming to be greener on the other side. What Buddhists seek in essence is the liberation of desires. To film this story in a country where this old wisdom is embedded in its culture, seemed very relevant to me.The imagery of Buddhism appeals to us in the West and it has been linked in our culture to concepts like peace, harmony and contentment. I guess it somehow functions as a breakaway from our busy daily lives, exactly what tourism also does. The reality of Buddhism in Laos however is very different. Many of the novice monks are in a monastery because they have no other option. Their family might be too poor to raise them, while some don’t have family at all.In the first part of the film I wanted to show imagery that confirms our cliché ideas about Eastern cultures, you could say this is the tourist gaze. In the second part of the film I break down this image and try to portray the village and its inhabitants more realistically.

JS: How long have you been working on BANANA PANCAKES and how did you end up in Laos?

DV: I visited Muang Ngoi for the first time in 2007, while I was backpacking throughout Asia. Two years later I visited the place again because I had enjoyed it so much. I have always remembered this tiny village, and Laos as a whole, as a special place where I was able to find the adventure and authenticity I was looking for as a backpacker.During these first two visits I had stayed with a lovely family, who turned out to be Shai’s [editors note: one of the characters in BANANA PANCAKES] parents. I met him in 2009, while he was visiting his parents. I went on a tour with him and he invited us for dinner afterwards. I always remembered Shai as someone who embodied the rapid change in Laos; on the one hand he is part of the new modern world in which everything seems possible and options are limitless, on the other hand he still feels connected to the quiet and natural world of his ancestors.Once I had decided to make this film, Muang Ngoi immediately came to mind as the perfect arena and so in 2012 I went back for research together with soundman and consulting director Chiel Aldershoff. We started production in 2013 and filmed on location in September and October of 2013 and for another month and a half in January and February of 2014. By shooting in two periods we were able to film the quiet rainy season and the busy dry season.

JS: Can you talk about submerging yourself in a different culture as a filmmaker?  It seems like you have a great ability to put your films subjects at ease with your presence rather than causing them uneasiness - how do you do that?

DV: In essence it doesn’t really matter what culture I’m filming in. We’re all human beings and we share so many universal wants and needs. I think it is really important to treat people with respect and I always try to establish a relationship that is based upon trust and mutual understanding. I spend time, I talk and I listen. After or during an interview I create moments for people to ask me questions too. I think it is equally important for people to get to know me as it is for me to get to know them. Of course I am a director who has a mission, but I’m foremost a human being doing something that I love and believe in. I think that when people understand that, they are much more likely to open up in front of the camera.On a more practical note it also helps to work with a pleasant, social and involved crew that is as small as possible and is willing to spend lots of time… and in this case can handle lots of liquor!

JS: You wear a lot of hats in the filmmaking process - shooting, editing, directing - is there any part of filmmaking that appeals to you most?

DV: Alfred Hitchcock said that a film is made three times, in writing, shooting and editing. Maybe that is even more so the case for documentary filmmaking, as reality can only be anticipated on during the pre-production, then it just happens during shooting, and finally you’ve got to deal with it in editing. The more involvement in all of these stages, the more I can express myself artistically in the final film. Besides I really enjoy all three crafts and apart from my own work, I execute them independently as well. But the thing is; when I write a scene I know how I want to frame it, when I shoot a scene, I’m already cutting it in my head - it just feels natural to do so.Having said that I do work with very experienced people who advise and coach me throughout the entire process.

JS: Can you tell us about any new projects you're working on? 

DV: I’m working on multiple projects - as we speak I’m wrapping up a commissioned doc about the rise of drone technology and its legal, political and ethical implications. I’m also doing a lot of camera and editing work for other docs. As for my own work I’m diving into an underexposed part of Dutch colonial history and track down its resonance to present day.

JS: What drew you to working in documentary?  Do you have any filmmaking influences?

DV: Filmmaking influences. mmm. I guess so many! But to name one, I remember that after seeing GAMBLING GODS AND LSD from Peter Mettler I sort of decided that docs are awesome! I find Mettler’s hypnotic storytelling and camerawork incredibly inspiring.

BANANA PANCAKES AND THE CHILDREN OF THE STICKY RICE screens on Wednesday, March 9 at 8pm at CinemaSalem.