Festival Communities

Festivals have always suffered from a few simple problems, the most obvious being that a festival is situated in a particular place and a particular time. In a paradoxical way this has meant that a festival becomes an exclusive place and not a place of community.

We have watched many, many films and we have witnessed the desire to connect and make a difference. This is wonderful. We have concluded that festivals in their classic form are not a very good way of doing this. Too much time and effort is spent on silly things, not on the films, or their message.

So, the LIDF has decided to evolve into a place where film and ideas can be more easily exchanged. In essence, this means a permanent festival, that mixes live events with on-line, and is representative of the concerns of those who care about documentary film, and more importantly how those films can affect social change and forms of engagement in issues large or small. In these coming days the 2016 selection will be revealed and nominations free to view on-line and be voted on. Further changes will also be unveiled.

What is increasingly clear in the politics of our moment is that intolerance grows, and difference is seen as a negative rather than a positive. If we believe ourselves to be active citizens we must respond, and in the process redefine what being a citizen means. We must not underestimate the potential destruction of a form of social contract that is not inviable but was hard won and needs sustenance.

So, what does a mere festival do in this moment? It has to become an active part of the public sphere, not just a few days of celebration and parties. It must engage and respond on a constant basis and not try to be some sort of summation but instead part of the process. This may not be straightforward but we believe that it is an experiment worth trying.

In this rather fractured world perhaps it is time for the LIDF to become something run not only for for those who create but, with those who create.

All filmmakers who have submitted to the LIDF will be offered membership over the coming days and with it involvement in key organisational decisions, the development of national and international partnerships, and voting rights for the LIDF monthly and annual film awards. Members will also be able to promote their work and future projects via the LIDF website, gain access to the LIDF database of subscribers, and receive early-bird discounted offers to workshops. Additional benefits will be announced in time.

The LIDF began with a few friends under the banner of PocketVisions. The name was chosen with reference to a line by the critic and author John Berger: “The pocket in question is a small pocket of resistance. A pocket is formed when two or more people come together in agreement.”