"The 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) opened last night with the world premiere of South Korean director Park Chan-ok's Paju," reports Geoffrey Macnab for Screen. "The first Korean film to open the festival, Paju received a mixed response from the Rotterdam audience. A slow burning character drama with a complex narrative structure, it was not an obvious crowd pleaser although it was praised by some for its artistry."
And on the occasion, the Dutch journal Filmkrant presents the second edition of its Slow Criticism Project. For editor Dana Linssen, the project is "a counterbalance to the commodification of film journalism, and antidote to the haste and the hype, a speedy poison for a panicked recycle industry in which most media recycle each others opinions, announcing yet another record breaking box office wonder." Contributors: Diego Lerer, Adrian Martin, Eva Sancho Rodriguez, Gabe Klinger, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Christoph Huber, Claudia Siefen, Caroline Mercado & Eva Sancho Rodriguez, Neil Young, Patricia Pisters, Pamela Biénzobas and Richard Porton.
Meantime, if you're in Rotterdam, Neil Young has a tip for you: Hitoshi Matsumoto's Symbol, and the screening to catch is Tuesday night's (10:15 pm). Because of the venue: "The 93-year-old Luxor, the only Rotterdam cinema to survive the attentions of the Luftwaffe, is the must-visit IFFR venue - every time I've been to the festival, I'm told it will be demolished before the next renewal. It's a grandly unpretentious one-screen movie-house with mirrored, lightbulb-studded curvatures on the wall, contributing to an 'ex-porno' atmosphere."
Keep an eye on Neil's site, too, for further recommendations and reviews - and for that matter, keep an eye on this one. Two of us will be attending and posting impressions and reviews soon.
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