This is the week we ramp up for the fall festival season. Venice opens on Wednesday, Telluride happens over the weekend, followed shortly thereafter by Toronto, then San Sebastian, Fantastic Fest, and of course, New York, which'll carry us over into October. In short, it's the perfect time for Girish Shambu to strike up the conversation he has; he's "been wondering: How have film festivals slowly changed in the last decade or two? And what are things that a good film festival ought to be doing?"
Toronto, for example, remains "the one week of the year that I look forward to the most. Nevertheless, there's no denying that the changes at TIFF have, over the years, weakened the festival in certain crucial ways." He explains in that kickoff entry and, as always at Girish's place, an engaging discussion ensues. In particular, Gabe Klinger offers a few of his long-gestating thoughts on the qualities that define some of the world's best film festivals. Meanwhile, via Twitter, TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey raises a few questions regarding Girish's assessment of the festival's evolution.
As it happens, either by odd coincidence or sinister calculation, three European festivals have just announced the names of their jury presidents for their next editions. So it'll be Frank Langella for the Zurich Film Festival (September 23 through October 3), Holly Hunter for Stockholm (November 17 through 28) and Isabella Rossellini for the Berlinale (February 10 through 20).
Image: Saverio Costanzo's The Solitude of Prime Numbers with Isabella Rossellini will compete in Venice before screening in Toronto. For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow The Daily Notebook on Twitter and/or the RSS feed.