In March Hup Squad members Olympia and Anneliese attended the virtual Circus International Film Festival! The festival is a month long film festival where one or two circus films are emailed to attendees daily. There is a wide range of storytelling, circus disciplines, full length and short shorts. Read on to find out what attending the festival was like for our two reviewers!
OLYMPIA
The Circus International Film Festival wrapped up in April, and I had the opportunity to be a part of it. Each morning, the festival provided links to one or two films for the day, and a voting form at the end of each category. I loved the format of this festival, as it made it so easy to watch the films no matter the time I had. I really enjoyed watching them at the end of each day, and checking the discord discussions was a fun and easy way to connect with the community.
Before this festival, I had never really seen circus film, so this was a new and different experience for me. I loved the way these artists told their stories through film, using light, sound, and camera techniques to really help the audience feel the message of the films. I was very impressed with the quality of each and every film! Each one was done very professionally.
My favorite category was “short shorts”. I think it is amazing how the creators were able to tell such a story in so little time. Each one had fun and happy energy. My personal favorite “short” short was Contortionist Homonius, by Marites Carino. This film told the story of a mysterious creature called “Contortionist Homonius”, and presented the creature as if it was a rare species found in the forest. I really enjoyed the way this was put together, and I thought the camera work was really well done. There were lots of shots looking through trees as well as magnificent backdrops in the forest, all captured beautifully.
Another film that I loved was the short documentary Come One, Come All – The Salida Circus by Nathan Taylor Ward. I thought this documentary about the Salida Circus was really lovely to watch. Even watching through the screen, it was clear to me how welcoming and open the Salida Circus is. The stories the founder told, as well as the stories from the children, made it evident to the audience how circus is for everyone. Each person told a story about how circus gave them a place where they belonged, no matter their background. I feel that this is true for me too. When I started aerial I had no experience, but I quickly fell in love with it, and always felt welcomed. The Salida Circus seems like an amazing community, and this documentary was very special to watch.
Each and every one of the films in the festival was expertly crafted, and getting to be part of the festival as a viewer was such a privilege. I would recommend this festival to anyone and everyone! Whether you are already a circus enthusiast, or are just starting to fall in love with it, this festival is for you!
ANNELIESE: Compare and Contrast
The full length films where often a lot more story centered and followed a more structured plot, while the shorts where often longer routines, in video form, using a chosen song as a sort of script – both where great depictions of story telling! The shorts felt like a more accurate depiction of aerial in my opinion- considering a lot of the story telling in aerial is centered around short routines corresponding with music – however I enjoyed the full length films more.
This isn’t to say that one genre is better than the other, or that I felt this way about all of the films from the Circus International Film Festival, however I found myself really appreciating the balance between active story telling, and aerial performance in the longer films. My overall take away from the festival is very positive, and I had such a fun time Full Length Shorts watching such a wide spectrum of films!
Of course I need evidence to prove my point, so here goes. My favorite short length film was “Stiff” by Briana Bowie. I thought the visuals where great and, and the concept was absolutely beautiful. In a very short piece of media this story managed to capture a beautiful and comedic story about a man infatuated with the dead, as his most recent specimen comes to life – and preforms! On the contrary, my favorite full length film was “Persephone Bound: Continuing the Conversation”. This was a beautiful and daring film that captured the story of Persephone in a new way, never told before – it followed her journey as she overcame trauma and persevered. It is a great representation of circus – but the strengths of this film are in its cinematography and meaning. These films are great examples of why I think that the short lengths are better representatives of what circus is, but the longer films hold my favor because of the story they have time to explore.
circus is my life 