Chew on This reports live from the 2013 Holland Animation Film Festival.
I used to visit HAFF routinely. Run by old chum, Gerben Schermer, I always found the programming and atmosphere of HAFF to be above par. Schermer is a thoughtful, experienced programmer who regularly assembles outstanding competition and special screenings. Schermer was a major influence on me as a prorammer and artistic director when I took over the OIAF. Schermer's exquisite eye and care for detail changed the way we created our posters, catalogues and competitions. Overall, HAFF is more intimate than Annecy and even my one homebase at the OIAF. Its where the cool kids go...the cool kids who don't think they're cool kids... So it's where the uncool kids go i guess.. Which is cool... I haven't been cool for years... If ever... Which makes me uncooly coolly uncool cool. Last time i was at HAFF was 2002. Probably the last time I tried Dutch skunk too.. Crippling stuff. Makes Robbie Williams seem cool. Anyway..I'm here again. Life is different. One ball. New love. Even HAFF is new. Last year they moved to spring time after two decades of November air. New venues too. Some new faces...but mostly it feels like I haven't been away. That's a compliment.
So... Opening was Wednesday night. 3D premieres of Adriaan Lokman's old short, Barcode (film that won Annecy Grand Prix years ago...pissing many pissers off) and Liar's Autobiography, the feature about dead gay boozer Python, Graham Chapman. Decent enough films, but neither film benefited from the glasses. Neither film needed to be 3D.
Good crowd though. Becca and I skipped opening party. Jet lagged and frozen. Yes, Ottawa is warmer than Utrecht. Sleep.
A well-known figure in the world of independent animation, writer, author & curator Chris Robinson is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
