If You Build It, They Will Come

Notes on film festivals, north and south of the equator

Comments (0) By Scott Foundas Wednesday, May 2 2007

The house that Schindler built: Rodgriguez House (1942), Glendale (Courtesy Amour Fou)

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During Collet’s tenure, I always tried to be as constructive as possible in my assessment of AFI Fest’s annual lineup. Now that she is gone, I will be a bit more blunt: Under Collet, the AFI Fest program was rarely more than an embarrassment — the dubious achievement of someone with either unaccountably poor taste in cinema or such a low opinion of her audience as to categorically deny them access to the most compelling and innovative visions in world cinema. By that, I do not mean the smattering of gala Hollywood premieres and other glamour-heavy events that, for better or worse, always have been and always will be a part of the AFI Fest mandate. Rather, I refer to the Asian, European, Latin American and American independent films that constitute the bulk of the festival’s program, and where Collet’s shortcomings were most painfully evident. My intention in regurgitating all of this now is not to dwell upon the sins of the past, but to point the way toward a brighter future. Like Schindler’s houses — which, at the time they were new, were modestly priced residences the average consumer could afford — a great film festival can at once be completely accessible to the masses and an objet d’art. As AFI Fest prepares to enter its third decade, the festival organizers find themselves sitting on an extraordinary opportunity for reassessment and renovation. Here’s hoping they make the most of it.

Click here to read Su Casa Es Mi Casa Familiar spaces — and faces — at the Buenos Aires Film Festival by Scott Foundas from May 6, 2004