It’s been a pretty mellow day here at the Vancouver International Film Festival as far as the films go. I was picking up my tickets this morning and in my confusion in digging for my pass, I delayed just long enough to run into Nagasaki Shunichi; director of Heart, Beating in the Dark; and his entourage. They were picking up their tickets for The Duelist, and I saw their tags, which list the film they’re affiliated with. Well, I had to take that moment to mention how much I enjoyed the film; which to tell by his reaction was completely wasted; I think he understands zero english. His escort / interpreter was surprised that I had seen the film already, as it hasn’t officially premiered yet… I hope they enjoyed The Duelist though.

I skipped out of Dog Nail Clipper and Skritek in favour of leaving home late. Instead I saw This Divided State which was okay, for a documentary about things I already know; that George W. Bush is evil. I then saw Memories in the Mist which was… convoluted, and while not something that I’d watch again, it’s not something I regret seeing.

I tried to watch To the Other Side, but the projector wasn’t working, and it was 10 minutes behind schedule and I’m nearly overlapped on my schedule, so I opted to leave in favour of taking a half hour to write things down and grab a slice of pizza. Up shortly are Protocols of Zion and Live and Become; I may watch another screener this evening; Hamster Cage or A Perfect Fake. I’m not sure if I’ll manage that, as I’m really looking forward to sleep; just like last year’s festival, my sinuses are flared as if I have a cold coming on…

Time to go line up for the next film…