San Francisco Dispatch. 4. (And New York Dispatch. 4. And IFFBoston. 2.)

Lees: By the standards of last year, Graham Leggat and team have easily accomplished their agenda of producing and presenting a better festival.

Marlow: At the Addictive TV show last night, Graham was shaking it along with Paula Cavagnaro and the rest of Hilary Hart's excellent publicity staff. I cannot imagine that [former Executive Director] Roxanne [Messina Captor] would've found herself on the dance floor. These folks are enjoying themselves and why not? "Mission accomplished," so to speak.

Lees: Do you truly believe that the Film Society has all that it needs to return to its former status as a world-class film festival? The programming department could still use some work and, with the overlap of Tribeca, some of the best work is being stolen away to the other coast.

Marlow: I suspect that's a case of perception more than reality. What, exactly, does Tribeca have that SFIFF needs? Mission Impossible III? Poseidon? Granted, I would've liked to see the Chris Marker film here (although it supposedly had a recent under-publicized local screening, sans subtitles, at ATA's Other Cinema) or Chabrol's Comedy of Power. It is admittedly odd to have the premiere of The Bridge in New York instead of San Francisco or locally-produced films like The Tribe and Full Grown Men appearing at Tribeca and not at SFIFF at all.

Lees: New York can have The Bridge, as far as I'm concerned.

Marlow: It's definitely one of the most poorly crafted documentaries that I've seen in ages. [David] D'Arcy and I agreed to disagree on that one. [Director] Eric Steel smugly answered a few questions after the screening a few days ago. He talked briefly about the suicide barrier and the mental health issues, none of which are addressed in the film. Jenni Olson's The Joy of Life addressed this topic much more gracefully in every respect.

Lees: She has the distinct advantage of making a much better film.

Marlow: If Steel thinks he gets at some greater truth by exploitatively displaying the lowest moments in these individuals' lives, he is entirely mistaken. Like many people in the audience, I was surprised and troubled that the cameras were not fixed and were not photographing these moments at a distance. We see these people relatively close. The camera crudely follows their descent. Then, to only increase the disturbing nature of what we're seeing, Steel has the temerity to foley a splash as they hit the water. The man has no tact.

Lees: As for films that played at both Tribeca and SFIFF, Backstage had its US premiere over there. I was beginning to think that you disliked everything but then I noticed a few of your comments about the film.

Marlow: I attended the screening on Tuesday only expecting to watch the first ten minutes but stayed through to the end. My first viewing was on the flight over to the Independent Film Festival of Boston. I don't usually gain much from a second viewing but, since I uncomfortably fast-forwarded over the sex scenes so as not to arouse the attention of the other passengers on the airplane, it was good to see those sequences in real-time. Not for the reasons that you might expect. There are a few things happening in the editing of those scenes that, ultimately, are rather important. There are also a number of little details in the art direction, such as photographs in the background, that I missed on the small screen. Regardless, I hope that Strand produces a soundtrack when the film is released theatrically. It should be noted that SFIFF had a fair share of films that weren't at Tribeca. The documentary award winner, the beautifully photographed Workingman's Death, for instance, or the exceptional One Long Winter Without Fire, although I believe that both films have already screened in New York at other events.

Lees: This leads me to wonder, with so many film festivals occurring in this country, how do they all compare?

Marlow: To limit the comparison to only these three - IFFB, Tribeca and SFIFF - they each address different needs. With Boston, [Program Director] Adam Roffman has been trying to convince me to attend since we first met at Sundance a few years ago. I finally gave in and, thankfully, was able to meet Michael Tully and Alex Karpovsky. I was able to talk with Todd Rohal and Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan again. Patty claims to have some incriminating photographs of me dancing there but I have nothing to be ashamed of. I finally saw a few films that I missed at other events, such as The Proposition and The Puffy Chair. Both great in different ways, by the way.

I'd say the real difference between Boston and Tribeca is that Adam and [Executive Director] Jason Redmond have created a festival that truly feels welcoming to guests and audiences alike. Tribeca, by contrast, seems to be Sundance's uglier step-brother. It appears, on the surface, more delighted by celebrity than a real passion for film. Granted, I was only there for a few days and there are clearly people working on this festival that care about bringing great films to lower Manhattan - and, this year, to Midtown. I've heard a number of stories about Peter Scarlet's predatory tactics in snatching titles for his festival. I don't believe that it helps anyone to be a "premiere" hound at the expense of other regional festivals. I expected more perspicacity from Scarlet, honestly.

Lees: And SFIFF?

Marlow: I told Graham that he had one year of immunity. I don't think he needs it. I'm encouraged by what he's done thus far and I'm optimistic, perhaps cautiously optimistic, about his plans for 2007. If the 49th edition is merely a sliver of what to expect from the "golden" anniversary, film-lovers should start making their travel plans now.

Posted by dwhudson at May 4, 2006 2:51 PM