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Arrangements Work Despite Film Thefts and Crowded Theatres
Arrangements for the Film Festival have fallen into place almost exactly as planned. Small problems have occurred chiefly in film transportation and in screening schedules. According to Programme Coordinator Tuula Kumpunen, the person responsible for ordering the films for the festival, the festival fell only four films short of the original screening plan. This year's festival programme consisted of 550 films. On some occasions the Plevna movie theatre has been so thronged that it has been necessary to delay the screenings a few minutes. - Tickets have sold well. People have flocked in and out jamming the theatre, but even so, the festival's screenings have been more or less on schedule. Juhani Alanen, the person responsible for the sale of tickets, estimates that this year's sales have exceeded those of the previous year. Theft of Oscar Nominee Caused Problems The guests have applauded the festival's programme for its diversity, Kumpunen relates. Constructing the programme was not easy. One programme coordinator and three other members of the film department sometimes faced difficulties in trying to gather up the films for the festival.
The film department staff can follow transportations' progress on the internet. People are often anxious about the transportations and how everything will go. The information on the net is not always reliable. It may for example claim that a car has reached an intermediate stopping point but has not proceeded since. In addition to delays and disruptions in the flow of information, the carelessness caused by the constant rush has hindered film transportation. Sometimes the film delivered to Tampere has been a wrong one or the right film has been sent to a wrong address. - We were waiting for a Mel Gibson film Forever Young to arrive from Austria for the International Competition, but the intended experimental version was changed to a Hollywood film during transportation, Kumpunen recounts. Nearly All Invited Guests Arrived in Tampere Copies finally arrived at Tampere in time for the screenings. Only few works did not make it to the festival. The animation series with social themes had to be shortened from 87 minutes to 76, because a few of the films meant to be screened did not arrive.Nearly all filmmakers invited to Tampere arrived at the festival. - The absence of Oleg Kuvajev, the director of the Masyanya animations, is unfortunate. He could not arrive to showcase the films due to his studio's financial difficulties. In addition, his family has recently received a new member, Kumpunen tells. Additions in the programme and the guest list compensate the absences. On Friday, a documentary about St. Petersburg, directed by Viktor Kossakovsky, arrived at Tampere. The film, which will be screened on Sunday, has been shot from the window of the director's home, which overlooks a slowly progressing construction site. - The documentary is the eighth film in the St. Petersburg series. It is the last minute gem of the festival.
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