Taking place in Falmouth, The Cornwall Film Festival may not be the most glamorous of events when compared to the sunny streets of Cannes or the bright lights of London. It might also have experienced the worst of luck in being hit by a colossal storm throughout the weekend. But what the event may have lacked in flashing lights and warm climates it certainly made up for in quality viewing. As they always say, ‘The show must go on!’ Or as one elderly couple muttered behind me having braved the storm, “Dorothy, my right nostril has started running like a train.” “Oh Nigel! Here have a tissue, now let’s enjoy the film.” Well said Dorothy, well said.
Inebriated by my complimentary drink and a comforting shot of mead, I made my way from the lively opening night party to the first screening, where audiences were encouraged to embrace their soft and gooey side with the UK premiere of Marcello Marcello (main image), by Swiss director Denis Rabaglia. Despite my usual distaste for rom-coms I bit my lip and give Marcello Marcello a chance.
Surprisingly, I was bowled over by the film and didn’t feel the need to reach across for a stranger’s popcorn box to be sick into. Particularly impressive was Francesco Mistichelli, who provided a sterling performance as Marcello Romei, the young fisherman’s son who has become disheartened by love because of his island’s age-old traditions.
Here it is custom that when a girl turns 18, any boy who likes her is invited to bring a gift at three o’clock, but the gift is for her father who ultimately decides which boy takes the young lady on her first date. So begins the chase of Marcello’s first love… When the 97-minute run time finally drew to a close I felt buoyed by the whole experience, with just the right amount of rose tinted romance to keep me charmed from start to finish.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A quick gone-off pint later and I was back in my seat for the eagerly awaited The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, having read a summary for the film back in September as part of LWLies own Film4 Fright Fest coverage. This gripping thriller didn’t disappoint, with a perfectly paced script alongside flawless acting from both Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, making for one of the best Swedish exports since Dolph Lundgren burst onto the scene.
Day two of the festival and the rain was still pelting the quaint harbour town. With the majority of the day dedicated to short films of all genres and lengths, I got the day started with the Cornish films in competition, which as always were a mixed bag of terrific low budget spectaculars and poorly played out catastrophes. In particular, recent Falmouth University film graduate Benjamin Suri’s stop motion triumph Rosemary deserves a special mention.
Aurora’s Kiss
Veteran Cornish writer-director Mark Jenkin was at his best once again, scooping Best Short Film for Aurora’s Kiss, having received recognition in previous years for The Midnight Drives and Golden Burn.
At the other end of the scale, artist Kurt Jackson’s, The River Avon, left me reeling with the kind of boredom that can only be replaced by a healthy shot of espresso. For all its blissful tranquility, the monotonous drone of the narrator sucked the life from what could have been a terrific story. Not forgetting the fact that the movie’s final third consisted solely of quite literally watching paint dry…
To help pick me back up I decided to explore some of the events and workshops taking place before the main screenings got underway. Luckily I managed to sneak my way into the Jon Ronson guest lecture, with the hope of hearing the author recount as many mad stories as possible. Aside from the usual grilling over the recent adaptation of his book The Men Who Stare at Goats, which included a description of George Clooney as the human equivalent of savlon that heals all wounds, Ronson didn’t disappooint.
Indulging the crowd with tales of being chased by secret organisations in Portugal and fearing for his life as he described himself to embassy officials as ‘a humorous journalist out of his depth’, the talk was also coupled with the hilarious demonstration of the Ronsonaton; an actual weapon named after him and basically the Mark II of the Predator seen in the TMWSAG, only more lethal (as in, pointier).
Diary of a Disgraced Soldier
A few belly laughs later and it was time to brave the storms once more to catch the premiere of Diary of a Disgraced Soldier, which in my eyes was the hands down winner of best film of the festival. The documentary, which is not for the faint hearted, centres on Corporal Martin Webster, who in 2004 filmed his fellow British soldiers beating Iraqi youths in Al Amarah, Iraq.
The footage, which many may remember, was leaked to the British press and subsequently spread across the globe. Following Martin through a series of video diaries starting with the day he leaves the Army right up to the present, the film portrays his intense personal battle while overcoming post-traumatic stress. Heroically, it is only when Martin begins channeling his anger through music, poetry and paintings that is he truly able to mark the start of his new beginning.
Sunday began in much the same way Saturday had, with torrential downpours, smokers huddled outside the cinema and a dollop of short films; this time in the guise of the student films in competition. Opening the proceedings was Assistance, by another Falmouth University film grad Rik Burnell, which was not only flawlessly shot but captivating enough to scoop the Best Idea prize. Next was Steve Wright’s entertaining documentary The Life of Prisk, an insightful look at the life of six times British bodyboard champion Damian Prisk and his battle with cancer.
Disgrace
Next up was Disgrace, the winner of the International Critics’ Award last year in Toronto, and the screen adaptation of JM Coetzee’s 1999 Booker Prize-winning novel. There’s no denying that the story of David Lurie, a South African professor of English who loses everything after seducing a student, is both powerful and disturbing. As much as I tried to like the characters, however, I felt absolutely nothing for any of them. It’s no wonder that Sophie Mayer walked out of the screening last September at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Before the night was finished, myself and a number of others decided to enter into the Big Pitcher, a relatively simple premise: desperate filmmakers stand up in front of a live audience for two minutes and pitch their next great epic for the chance to win £100. We were also given a chance to watch last year’s monumentally funny winner (from the words ‘speed dating with tourettes’, you should get the picture). Unfortunately my own idea of a Cornish barber shop that goes bust and turns to a gangster rap competition for salvation didn’t go down so well, despite promising a cameo appearance by Tim Westwood. Despite that set back, this year’s festival was one of the most interesting, entertaining and unique cineamtic exhibitions the UK has to offer.
