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ecsundance · 3 years

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A very Long (yet very awesome) Week of Sundance

Organisers of Sundance say in Tryon’s discussion that “If a filmmaker wants to create his or her own idiosyncratic vision, it’s often not worth looking around for a big budget, waiting for others to say it’s okay to make it. You have to stand up and make the film yourself…” (pg.164) and Kevin MacDonald in Tryon’s discussion talks about how basically all you need to make a movie is a laptop and a video camera, and how amazing it is that we live in a time which we can do this (pg.156)

This is similar to the idea that you can complain about not having enough time or experience to do something, but if you get over yourself and do it either you fail and learn, or you succeed and gain confidence. If you have a great idea then nothing should hold you back from making it a reality. Movies with billions of dollars behind them have fallen flat. So it stands to reason that a movie made on weekends with only a couple bucks could be amazing.

According to Chuck Tryon’s discussion of “Reinvented Festivals” (pg. 160), because there are a lot more independent bloggers/critics now due to newspapers not hiring many, there is a consistent stream of new reviews being released even minutes after a film finishes premiering.

Taking part in this class and festival and constantly thinking about what I thought about a film plays into this as I (along with my classmates) were some of the first to review some of these films. It’s such a fun experience to think and talk about film as everyone will have various ways of perceiving and connecting to each film.

Favourite Film From the Festival

It feels hard to choose a favourite because there were so many incredible films which affected me in different ways like Coda, How it Ends, Flee, and honestly most of the films I saw in this year's festival . However, I fell in love with The World to Come when it wasn’t even a movie I initially planned on seeing.

The world to come felt like a poem. It made my heart ache deeply, marinating in feelings of melancholic love, and unexpected loss. Maybe it hit me especially hard because I lost one of the most amazing people I’ve ever had in my life along with family and pets (since they are family too) since the start of Covid: I have regrets and things I never got to say. Maybe it’s because I’m fiercely fighting with my own identities right now. Either way, it was hard to watch. Parts of it still haunt me and still leave me breathless on the brink of tears. It struck a chord in me which I have a hard time fully putting to words. I didn’t originally even want to watch this film, it somehow ended up on my list of on demand films, and my mom convinced me to watch it (and I’m so glad she did).

It is a story which about two women which takes place in the 1800s, together in their loneliness who fall for each other behind their husbands’ backs. They secretly rendezvous in the forest and tucked away corners of their homes when their husband’s are working. It is beautiful in story and dialogue; it doesn’t get stale. It feels modern somehow, though it is set in the 19th century, and I’m still processing it all to figure out why exactly.

Least Favorite Film from the Festival...

Eight for Silver by Sean Ellis wasn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but it was certainly not the best; I would not actively choose to watch this again. It had interesting concepts such as only natural lighting being used throughout the film and those turned into the werewolf emerging, negatively changed, from the dead animal. The movie would have gotten 4 stars rather than 3 from me simply by not having a CGI werewolf (unless it was so brilliantly terrifying and amazing it had to be shown) and by keeping the original plot of the Roma’s spells/curses (fueled from the massacre which the targeted village caused). The scarecrow and buried teeth, and the strange dreams which followed were such a great piece, but they just fell away more and more. The addition of the religious text (which mentions 30 pieces of silver is unnecessary, and just recycles old vampire movies/myth ) took this film from a great timepiece and cheapened it in combination with the subpar CGI creature, while also making it feel far too Hollywood in a bad way. Again, some of the ideas, like the person within the wolf were great, but they could have kept it that way and not shown the monster otherwise.

A list of All Feature Films I Saw:

During the 2021 Sundance film festival I have seen and rated the following:

Coda ***** Sian Heder

The story of a teenage hearing girl who wants to be a singer living with her otherwise deaf family who run a fishing boat.

Cryptozoo **** Dash Shaw

A woman’s attempt to protect mythical creatures in a world where everyone wants to harm them or use them as weapons.

Misha and the wolves ***** Sam Hobkinson

A chilling documentary about holocaust tale with a twist.

Users **** Natalia Amada

A mother’s view of the world, global warming, technology, her children and the relationship between all of this.

Prisoners of Ghostland **** Sion Sono

Samurai meets the gunslinger Western World in this colourful action-horror (featuring Nicholas Cage).

Censor **** Prano Bailey-Bond

The story of a woman whose sister disappeared as a child and how her job as a horror film censor helps her uncover the truth.

How it ends ***** Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones

A walk through the last day on Earth with a woman and her younger self as they make peace with their lives, relationships with others, and their own inner selves.

Strawberry Mansion ***** Dan Deacon

A dreamy/nightmarish surreal tale of a dream tax collector as he falls in love with the younger version of his client.

Cusp ***** Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill

A documentary on the lives of teen girls in Texas which delves into rape culture, poverty, and what it’s like to be a young woman.

Eight for Silver *** Sean Ellis

Werewolf lore set in the 19th century.

John and the Hole **** Pascual Sisto

A young teenage boy puts his family in a hole in the woods as he tries to deal with the stressors of being a kid and what adulthood holds, entwined with fable.

R#J ***** Carey Williams

A modern retelling of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet through the age of social media, with a twist or two.

Coming Home in the Dark ***** James Ashcroft

A horror story of a family who are abducted by two strangers who they later learn they share a deeper, darker history with.

We’re All Going to The World’s Fair **** Jane Schoenbrun

A showing of loneliness and desperation through an online roleplaying game and it’s after effects.

First Date **** Manuel Crosby, Darren Knapp

A story of a first date gone VERY wrong.

The World to Come ***** Mona Fastvold

A 19th century story of the growing connection between two farmhouse wives.

Violation ***** Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli

A film about a woman’s trauma and how she… Deals with it.

Marvelous and the Black Hole ***** Kate Tsang

A story about how a young teen girl gets through the loss of her mother through forming a connection with a local magician.

The Blazing World ***** Carlson Young

A traumatised young woman tries to bring her sister back from “the other side” but must really fight her own inner demons.

Mayday ***** Karen Cinorre

A story of a young woman overcoming trauma and fighting back against the man in a dreamlike state.

Night of the Kings **** Philippe Lacote

A new storyteller is anointed in a prison run by its inmates and he must keep telling these stories until the moon sets to stay alive. (It helps to understand the specific culture more with this one, otherwise it sort of goes over your head.)

Life in a Day 2021 ***** Kavin Macdonald

A grounding compilation of scenes from across the world on the same day, July 25th, with scenes one after the other which either connect or contrasted in an impactful way.

Flee ***** Jonas Poher Rasmussen

A biography told through animation of a young gay immigrant.

Short Films

Bj’s Mobile Gift Shop- Jason Park

A story of a young guy in Chicago who makes money to support himself and his grandparents by running a mobile gift shop out of a large suitcase.

Flex - Josefin Malmen, David Strindberg

A visual telling of a bodybuilder rubber-banding between insecurity and self obsession through surreal imagery and dialogue.

The Affected- Rikke Gregersen

A retelling of a college student preventing the deportation of a man back to Afghanistan through the interactions of the bystanders.

You Wouldn’t Understand- Trish Harnetiaux

A time-warp involving a picnic, a strange character looking for “horsey sauce” and a grocery store clerk armed with a food scanner.

Animations

Ghost Dogs- Joe Cappa

A family's new dog is “haunted” by the family’s many deceased dogs in squishy colourful 90s/early 2000s style animated short.

GNT- Sara Hirner, Rosemary Vasquez-Brown

A woman obsessed with social media tries to make yeast infections popular.

Trepanation- Nick Flaherty

A showing of depression through a disturbing hole ridden entity emerging from a hole and taking the place of the house's owner.

Little Miss Fate- Joder Von Rotz

A cleaning bird interrupts the fate of a couple going out on a date, leading to disastrous consequences.

Indie Series

I had really wanted to see Seeds of Deceit by Miriam Guttman and Would you Rather by Lise Akoka, (I tried viewing 4 Feet High by María Belén Poncio and Rosario Perazolo Masjoan but there was an issue which Sundance staff never got back to me about, sadly) but I ran out of time.

However, I did see These Days by Adam Brookes which takes place in New York City during Covid, showing a young woman living alone and how she survives living alone and being unable to work as a dancer.

New Frontier Experiences

Sadly, I kept thinking I’d have endless time. I did not engage in the New Frontier experience except for in class on one occasion. I think it was a great idea and fantastic opportunity and I regret not planning my time better for this specifically.

Talks or Events

Ignite x Adobe featured shorts films from artists aged 18 to 25 and was very inspiring since I’m in the age range of these artists.

A few I especially enjoyed were Vigincita, Personals, and Joychild (Although I honestly enjoyed the whole compilation).

Virgincita - A sexual coming of age/ look at mother daughter relationship mixed with religion.

Personals - A sexual encounter between two insecure individuals who find comfort with one another by the end.

Joychild - A documentary piece showing a child discovering and opening up about their gender identity.

Q&As

I attended a few Q&As, but my favourite I believe was CODA’s.

They spoke about how they worked around language barriers and learned sign language before and throughout production. Everyone just seemed at ease and like they had a great time in production of the film.

- - -

Overall, I’m quite pleased with how this festival went virtually. It was a truly amazing experience which I am so glad I was able to take part in. It was as Immersive an experience as I think could be created virtually and seemed to go relatively smoothly for the most part for having it be the first time this has happened.

I’m also extremely grateful for the inclusivity which allowed for those who may not be able to travel as easily due to disability, financial reasons, or anything else. I don’t know if I’d have been able to go otherwise.

This experience was more amazing than I even hoped it would be. I feel so inspired that I plan to find out how to submit to Sundance so that I can possibly try to get a short film idea I have done for the short film/18-25 year old category. I feel like I can actually do this now and I have so many new ideas.

Thank you!

Tryon, Chuck,

On-Demand Culture: Digital Delivery and the Future of Movies

Mae McCloskey

#sundance sundance2021 sundancefilmfestival indie indiefilm

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rapecrisisdunedin · 7 years

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Why being a woman cricket fan in New Zealand blows chunks

TRIGGER WARNING for discussions of a rape trial and the rape myths and victim-blaming used therein It finally happened. Scott Kuggeleijn has been called up to the Black Caps for their final test match against South Africa. I’ve been expecting this day to come, but believed – hoped - it wouldn’t be so soon. I feel ill. I am sad for every woman in this country who lives with the aftermath of sexual assault. For many survivors of rape and sexual abuse, this is just the latest reminder that if a man harms you he will not be held accountable by the justice system and will probably go on to enjoy a successful and illustrious career in his chosen field. And when that man is in a very public position, some of us endure the constant reminder of that, and of what happened to us, over and over again.

Far from ‘destroying a man’s reputation’, accusations of rape and sexual assault seem only to destroy the reputation of his accuser. In this case, the complainant’s testimony was attacked on the grounds that she wore a short skirt, a singlet and had been drinking. It is galling to have to remind people that none of those things make her a liar or are evidence of her consent. It is galling that lawyers are even allowed to peddle these kinds of arguments in rape trials. The fact that they are admissible and that the jury in the retrial gobbled it up like popcorn at the movies speaks volumes about New Zealand’s culture of misogyny. The list of caveats that apparently nullify a simple, clear ‘No,’ is longer than the Waikato river. I’m sick of hearing myself state what should be obvious – that what we wear or drink has nothing to do with our willingness to have sex - and I’m sick of writing it.

I was further stunned by the lack of legal competency exhibited by Judge David Wilson, QC, who seems to be unfamiliar with some of the finer points of consent law. Under New Zealand law, consent for sex cannot be given if it is coerced. His instruction to the jury, that consent given reluctantly is still consent, would seem to contradict that rule, and sends a disturbing message to women: that our bodily integrity is fair game to any man who is pushy and dominating enough. To any man who makes us feel afraid to say no. So much for our ‘freely, enthusiastically, continuously’ slogans. This ‘Honourable’ Judge with some letters beside his name believes he knows better: women don’t have to want sex, but we have to put up with it, including when we don’t want it.

Right, I’ve done enough hashing over the details of the two trials. Madeleine Holden[1] and Madeleine Chapman[2] have eloquently shed light on the use of rape myth, slut-shaming and victim-blaming in the complainant’s trials (and I type ‘complainant’s trials’ deliberately, because let’s not kid ourselves: she was on trial, not Kuggeleijn), and why that’s a problem. The subject of this piece is more personal to me: how to be a woman fan of cricket when the culture of cricket says you are inferior to men.

The answer is going to be different for every woman. I love this game to the point of obsession. I love cover drives and cut shots and pull shots; I love a screamer of a catch, I love well-executed yorkers, swing bowling, and the thrill of a run-out. I saw the matches and got the shirts. I’ve had selfies with BJ and Kane. Corey Anderson’s and Matt Henry’s autographs are among my prized possessions. My co-workers, family and friends eye me askance that I would book annual leave when there’s a test match down at the University Oval or up in Christchurch at Hagley. They all know one of my other passions is feminism, and perhaps that’s part of the side-eye: how does one reconcile these two seemingly disparate enthusiasms? I wonder that too. Today, with Kuggeleijn on the squad, I’m tearing my hair out with the wondering. Sure, my ‘fave’ sport is problematic, but I don’t – shouldn’t – have to justify or account for my love of it to anyone. Except myself. And I can’t even do that anymore: as long as this man is on the team, I will not be watching or supporting the Black Caps. I’ll probably even cheer if I hear of Australia beating them. Good. And I hope Australia sledge us and play dirty and bowl underarm to their hearts’ content.

This team does not deserve my support as a woman. New Zealand Cricket, its governing body, does not deserve my support. The selection of Scott Kuggeleijn is not just a sad anomaly in an otherwise equal-opportunities professional sport. It is a logical outgrowth of male supremacy in the sport as a whole. Here are some examples of cricket’s disdain for, and indifference to women I have noticed over my last year-and-a-half of cricket fandom.

· At time of writing, the White Ferns (the New Zealand women’s cricket team, currently ranked third in the world [3]) have 15 players under contract. Those contracts are worth a minimum of $20,000 and a maximum of $34,000 [4]. The Black Caps, meanwhile, have 21 players under contracts ranging in worth from $85,585 to $205,266 [5]. This isn’t a pay gap so much as a pay chasm. Even men on the provincial teams earn more than the White Ferns.

· Last year, the ICC opted to fly women cricketers economy to the T20 World Cup while the men flew business class. After public outcry, Cricket Australia upgraded the Southern Stars’ tickets to business, but New Zealand Cricket didn’t see fit to do the same for the White Ferns.

· Toilets. Really, they are an issue. In spite of the fact that women make up almost 50% of the crowd at matches, we warrant inferior bathroom facilities. The Basin Reserve has only a handful of toilets for women. Men have four massive toilet blocks. I kept getting confused and bumbling into the urinals when I was there last weekend, assuming that my loos would just be at the opposite end to the men’s. Not to be: the opposite end of the block is more men’s loos. Ladies go round the back. But at least I could see in them: at the University Oval in Dunedin, the lights in the women’s toilet block were kaput all summer, and were only repaired in time for the Black Caps vs South Africa test early in March. If you think I’m being pedantic by pointing this out, think again. If women are to feel welcome at cricket matches, the least the grounds can do is offer us adequate toilet facilities.

· Oh my God, nobody thought the Otago Sparks vs Northern Spirit game, at the Uni Oval on the day after New Years’ Day, was worth cleaning up rubbish for. It was my first women’s cricket match, and I’d been excited about it for weeks, but the embankments were significantly different from any of the Otago Volts games I’ve attended. The empty beer cans scattered every which way (from the Volts’ game the night before) did not give a laid back ambience. They were symbolic of how women’s cricket is viewed in this country: garbage.

· Last year New Zealand Cricket was the subject of an independent study into the health of women’s participation in cricket. The study reported that the body was failing to engage women at all levels [6]. Sir Richard Hadlee’s response was, if you will pardon my creative paraphrasing, ‘I’VE BEEN TELLING THEM THIS FOR DECADES WHY IS NO-ONE LISTENING OMFG.’[7] (Thanks Sir Richard).

What all this demonstrates is that the cricket pitch is by no means a level playing field. Quite the opposite: cricket is structured, above and below, by sexism. Women’s status as second-class citizens is entrenched at all levels: as umpires, as administrators, as fans, and as budding and established cricketers. And so I ask, sincerely, what has the male cricketing establishment done to be worthy of my support? To be clear, I support women in the game and behind the scenes, wholeheartedly. But New Zealand Cricket tells us, and shows us, time and again that women are in their eyes lesser beings. Scott Kuggeleijn’s promotion to international representative is just the most recent example of it, and although deeply hurtful, not even slightly surprising.

When NZC CEO David White blithely states that he respects the judicial process, it’s a cop out. There is plenty of documented evidence that the judicial process is a routine failure when it comes to sexual violence cases.[8] That’s why the Law Commission has made recommendations for numerous changes (most of which are being ignored).[9] Yes, Kuggeleijn was acquitted. And if you’re anything familiar with the reporting of the case and came away convinced that justice was served, that the complainant gave free and willing consent, and that Kuggeleijn is an upstanding citizen with a right-on attitude toward women, then I’m afraid I don’t know what to say to you.

We can take from all this that New Zealand Cricket’s self-proclaimed interest in inclusion and diversity is worth less than the paper it is written on.[10] Want to be perceived as egalitarian? It’s simple: you treat women equally. You don’t hold up as international role models men who by their own admission see women as walking targets.[11] And that’s the other thing at stake here: while NZC are tacitly telling women and girls they don’t give a proverbial about them, they’re sending an even more dangerous message to boys and men. Boys, especially, who look up to the Black Caps, not just for their sporting prowess, but for lessons on how to be men. What might those children and young men make of this? Probably that harmful sexual behaviour is no barrier to success in cricket. Treat women as you please, they are a means to an end, and at the end of the day if you leave someone traumatised, don’t worry about it because you’re one of the boys.

Did anyone ever wonder where the so-called ‘Roastbusters’, that group of teenaged boys who sexually assaulted intoxicated young women, bragged about it online, and were never brought to justice, learned to do what they did?[12]

That didn’t spring out of nowhere. The culture of misogyny is all around us. It’s thriving at New Zealand Cricket. As passionate as I am about cricket, I can’t support this team anymore. Until the Black Caps stand up against violence against women, I have no interest in being a fan. Until New Zealand Cricket makes a serious commitment to undoing its structural sexism, I have nothing but criticism for them.

[1] http://thespinoff.co.nz/society/17-08-2016/legal-lesson-we-still-somehow-havent-learned-no-meant-yes-is-not-a-rape-defence/

[2] http://thespinoff.co.nz/society/24-02-2017/were-you-saying-no-but-not-meaning-no-on-the-tactics-of-scott-kuggeleijns-lawyer/

[3] http://www.espncricinfo.com/rankings/content/page/211271.html

[4] http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/310984/white-ferns-salary-gap-reflects-revenue-new-zealand-cricket

[5] http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/79538819/pay-rise-for-top-nz-cricketers-with-backtoback-india-tours-to-boost-coffers

[6] http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/86264938/independent-study-calls-out-new-zealand-cricket-for-engagement-levels-with-women

[7] http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/86294301/Sir-Richard-Hadlee-not-surprised-by-damning-results-of-study-into-women-and-cricket-in-New-Zealand

[8] McDonald, E. & Tinsley, Y. (2011) From “Real Rape” to Real Justice: Prosecuting Rape in New Zealand. Wellington: Victoria University Press.

[9] http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/sites/default/files/projectAvailableFormats/NZLC%20IP30.pdf

[10] http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/news-items/sport-unites-for-inclusivity-and-diversity

[11] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11805426

[12] http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/10674764/Roast-Busters-case-No-charges-to-be-laid

#tw: rape #tw: rape trial #tw: victim blaming #tw: rape myths #scott kuggeleijn #cricket #sexism in sport #systemic sexism #new zealand cricket

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