Director of Programming James McNally is attending this year’s Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival from January 31st to February 8th
On Thursday evening, I’ll be boarding a plane and flying to France for the first time since I backpacked around the country in 1987. The reason for my trip might seem like business but for me it’s as big an adventure as that post-college coming-of-age trip all those years ago. You see, when I started Shorts That Are Not Pants “officially” just over two years ago now, I had no idea how long it might last, or what opportunities it might bring my way. We’re still tiny, by the standards of many film festivals, and we’re not even really a festival at all, but I love everything about the work I do for our little “screening series.”
When my dad passed away in October of 2012, I came into a little bit of money, and I put some of that into Shorts That Are Not Pants. Not much, because I want us to be a self-funded and viable enterprise. But I also felt that using some of that money for opportunities to travel and learn made sense, and so as early as last summer I began making plans to attend the world’s largest short film festival and market. I’d been following it online for quite a while and now it was my turn to take the plunge.
I’m excited but also a little nervous. France can be an intimidating country. Justifiably proud of their language and culture, the French can appear to be a little unforgiving to those whose facility with the French language is rusty and basic. I’m trying to remember my similar fears in 1987, which proved mostly unfounded. My friend Dave and I landed (like the D-Day troops) in Normandy and worked our way counterclockwise around the country before tackling Paris. Everywhere we met great people (though I do recall Dave having had much better French than me) and even in Paris, where we expected the worst, people were kind to us.
I suppose I’m also intimidated by the way the French run their festivals. I’ve heard horror stories from Cannes for so many years now, about different levels of access, and endless regulations (often only published in French) and rudeness from people in the service sector. I’m trying to ignore all of that. Though I dropped French in Grade 9, my pronunciation has always been good, and I think just being in Canada means that I’m exposed to a lot of French vocabulary all the time (our packaging is bilingual, for instance).
The strange thing is that although there are probably a lot of attendees who won’t attempt a word of French (I’m looking at some of you, Americans and Brits!) and who will nevertheless have a marvellous time, as a Canadian I’ve always felt tremendous guilt for not having mastered our second language. It’s a language (and culture) for which I have enormous respect and even affection, so I hope the nation can forgive my fumbling attempts at saying a few words.
All kidding aside, I’m really excited. The festival in Clermont-Ferrand not only shows 164 short films in competition (75 in the International Competition, 60 in the National (French) Competition, and 29 in the Lab Competition), but there is an accompanying film market where literally thousands of other new shorts are available to watch. As well, the world of short film converges here for more than a week, and I’m looking forward to talking to filmmakers, festival programmers and other film professionals and learning as much as I can from them.
So please stay tuned to the blog, where I hope to keep a sort of diary of what I get up to at my first “professional” trip to a short film festival. I hope it will be a little bit entertaining, if not enlightening.
Note: The amazing poster was designed by American illustrator Chris Buzelli, whom I need to thank for posting his photos from last year on Facebook and whipping up my excitement a full 12 months in advance!