Post festival Q&A with Bill Gosden

Post festival Q&A with Bill Gosden

So it's done in Auckland - another New Zealand International Film Festival and a load of cinematic treats are now being bundled up and sent around the country for others to enjoy.
I caught up with festival director Bill Gosden to get his thoughts on the cinematic circus leaving town.

Auckland is completed and Wellington’s in full swing, how do you see the 2013 festival going so far?
The biggest relief has been the technical/logistical achievement it represents. Everything played on schedule! We had some very close calls, not least a missing code to activate the very last screening on the programme, The Dream of Reality on Sunday night at the Civic. We had to rouse French crew from their beds at 6.00am on a Paris Sunday to extract the magic formula. It’s been great to see the almost universally positive responses to Antarctica and Gardening with Soul. I’d been touting these with such confidence from the get-go that certain cinephile commentators were accusing me of rank hucksterism.

And adding extra screenings of some films as well?
Some films have been popular this year and it's good to report that extra screenings of the Human Scale and Utu Redux were added in Wellington due to public demand.

Gardening with Soul

What’s been the best bit of an audience Q&A you’ve attended?
We’ve had a lot of help in that department in Auckland this year with some expert guest moderators, so I haven’t always been in the thick of it myself. My own biggest kick was seeing producer Leanne Saunders turn the tables and solicit some very thoughtful responses from the kids in the audience at The Weight of Elephants.

What have been the early break out hits this year?
Antarctica, Gardening, Candelabra , Only Lovers Left Alive,  The Gilded Cage,  Blinged –up Emma Watson, Blinged-up ponies....

Conversely, which film do you feel more people should have been at?
The Broken Circle Breakdown and The Past fell far short of our expectations, but I’m sure we’ll see some improvement as the word spreads.

The Broken Circle Breakdown

What’s been your highlight of the Auckland festival?
Revisiting 1928 and coming away enriched.  Jo Contag’s score for The Crowd is a wonderful work of sympathetic imagination across the decades. Tim Brock’s scores for the two Keaton movies are both fiendishly fast and precise.  Marc Taddei marshalled the APO players into a miraculous match of music, movie and live performance.

Wellington was hit with nervousness due to the earthquakes – have audiences headed out a bit more since things have quietened down?
Yes, but we have not made up for that initial cessation in sales. Spring-like weather has not helped (though it has probably settled shaken spirits somewhat).

What’s been the best bit of audience / punter feedback you’ve had?
The person who didn’t tell me how tired I look.

With the festival heading off to the provinces, including Gore for the first time, what would you recommend people don’t miss out on?
I don’t change my tune for the provinces. The programme may be smaller but it’s still a great mix of hot international features, documentaries and NZ work.

Antarctica- a Year on Ice

Which film do you feel will play the best around the country?
Gardening with Soul is an instant classic.

So, Auckland’s ending for 2013 – what’s next for you?
Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch - and a lot of taking stock.

What can we expect at the festival in 2014?
A major sponsor would be good....