Or make it gossipy… a sort of Michael Musto type thing about star sightings, who was being a bitch to whom, who was stumbling drunk. (OK, I know animation is so humble and down to earth that there really is no star system… but hey… let’s create one….) “Who was that young girl linking arms with Oscar Grillo?” “What was said during that tense conversation between Kucia and Schwizgebel?” “Does Griffin really have a foot fetish?“ “That Dutch festival director was drunk BEFORE breakfast, again.” “Did you see that Estonian animator getting it on with that Swiss lamb? No, really, I mean a lamb.” Now this approach wouldn’t be overly useful perhaps but it would sure has heckles be entertaining.

Or hey…say you ain’t into that stuff cause you didn’t do much but see films, exhibitions and attend panel discussions. Man, you’re dull; you’re probably an academic. Ok then…still… I know an academic sort, crazy kook, who wrote what initially seemed like a bizarre, nothing to do w/ Ottawa review of Ottawa. Part of the problem was language. English ain't his first. Anyhow... after I re-read the text for the 5th time I realized he’d written quite a thoughtful little piece that expanded beyond the Ottawa festival and embraced the whole of animation. What did the films shown at Ottawa say about the current situation in animation? And he went on to theorize about this, quite passionately, even getting into comparisons between animation and other arts (imagine that!) I didn’t agree w/ his takes on stuff…too turn of the century, elitist romantic for me…sort of guy who believes there is REAL art and NOT REAL art. Yeah... OK…buddy.

Anyway... what I did like was how he attempted to examine the festival on a larger socio-cultural blah blah blah level. Animation was taken out of its self-imposed cage and introduced to the real world (OK…maybe not ‘real’… or here or now... but at least ANOTHER world). AWN commissioned this review, but in the end they didn’t print it because the writing was not very clear or comprehensible in places and it would require an intense and hefty amount of time to re-work this piece into shape. It’s too bad, cause I think that overall it was one of the VERY VERY few useful/meaningful festival analyses.

AWN has published its share of gimp reviews (e.g. check out Kelly Neall’s review of the Tough Eye 2003 festival. Has she even seen an animation film before?). Worse still… check out the blowings (book and festival reviews) of that SUPERSTAR of animation scholars, Giannalberto Bendazzi. This guy is a show baby. He gushes about EVERYTHING he writes about w/o actually giving you any evidence? Look…that Cartoon encyclopedia is fine and dandy buddy…but umm… it does not warrant these incessantly hollow dribbles. It’s time to start earning your keep and cease with the wanna please everyone hallmark drippings.

At the same time though, AWN has also published some of the more innovative festival reviews. In 2001, AWN asked animator and all round good guy, Chris Lanier, to write about his experiences as a competition filmmaker at Sundance. Lanier wrote a thoughtful, intelligent sketchbook/diary piece about his experience. Or check out Don Duga’s wordless review of the ASIFA East Awards told entirely through sketches. Not a big fan of the sketches per se but I sure do like the idea. AWN has also composed photo scrapbooks of festivals. These are perhaps not as effective but it does give you some visual sense of the environment.

Perhaps AWN’s finest moment was Dan Sarto’s review of SAFO 99. In it he writes about the festival’s director:
“Chris is no stranger to controversy; he can be outspoken, and his straightforward manner doesn't always sit well with some of the crusty veterans on today's animation scene. One thing, however, is clear to me — he knows animation, and he knows how to put on a dynamite festival.” What’s not to like about those four lines of poetry?

Some other standouts reviewers are Czech writers like Stanislav Ulmer. You can find some of his reviews on http://asifa.net. He often provides a very thoughtful, in-depth analysis of a set of films that stood out for him at a festival.

What are some other ways to improve reviews? Maybe mags should invite a quartet of people from diff. backgrounds to contribute their POVs on a festival or just set up a festival forum discussion group where people can chat about what they saw, what they liked/disliked, problems, etc… Actually that’d be a damn good idea…. Maybe even invite a festival dir. to do a chat w/people so he/she can get their feedback directly. Then again…I’ve tried this a few times on the AWN café and Animation Nation and I find that when you actually turn things around and ask people what it is that they want from a festival, they haven’t the faintest idea. How can a festival be good/bad if you don’t know what the heck you want from it?

OK... well… s’bout it. A pretty insignificant and maybe insular rant, although I dunno… if you’re in animation and don’t care about animation festivals then maybe there’s a problem w/you…or them.

RIP K.D.
Just had a limited glimpse.
Saw a feisty, sarcastic, bitchy gal who was always real.
You were true to yourself and others.
No bullshit.
That’s what matters.
Take care.

Chris Robinson is but a man. His hobbies include squirrel taunting, goat thumping, meat dancing and elderly peeping. You can find the results at http://asifa.net/robinson.