THB #352a: Whither Festivals?

I love film festivals.

For me, they are an opportunity to focus on films, 3, 4, or 5 a day. (I have done 6 and 7, but I don’t recommend it.) Generally, the films are being shown for the first time or if not, have not been theatrically released in a nearby territory before the festival. (There are many exceptions to this rule, especially from premieres at major festivals then playing at more specialized, smaller festivals.)

The power of the movie, whether you are coming into the theater from sleet and snow at Sundance or from the beach in Bermuda, is the heart of my love of my work, this industry, and much of my life.

Just last night, at some odd hour, I was watching a news story and it sparked the deeply-held memory of a short I saw at a small festival in the smallest room at the DGA (formerly known as The Video Room) and all I wanted to do was to see that film again. The film, for the record, is called Whole, and it’s about “individuals who feel the need to become amputees,” and the i…