Highlights from the fall film film festivals (Excerpt of Members Only Episode)

This is an excerpt of a members only episode. To listen to the full episode, become a member at http://seventh-row.com/join

Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney and Executive Editor Orla Smith discuss the highlights of the fall film festival circuit, the new and troubling dominance of Netflix (and other streamers') films, and exciting (or not-so-exciting) first features. We discuss favourites like The Eternal Daughter, Saint Omer, Other People's Children — many of which will get a full-length episode of their own in the coming months. We also discuss some of the biggest disappointments. Orla shares her experience at the London Film Festival. Alex shares her experience attending the Toronto International Film Festival.

Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram @SeventhRow. Follow Alex Heeney @bwestcineaste and Orla Smith @orlamango on Twitter. 

On this episode excerpt:

• 00:00-5:24 - Intro to the episode and the festivals we've covered
• 5:24-18:55 Rebecca Zlotowski's Other People's Children and a new film grammar for women as multitaskers in Other People's Children, Mia Hansen-Løve's One Fine Morning, and Joanna Hogg's The Eternal Daughter 
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Become a member to listen to the rest o the discussion, which includes:

• 18:55-20:55 How many films we saw, and some of the downsides
• 20:55-25:45 Orla's favourites including Laura Poitras's All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and  Verena Paravel's De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Jamie Dack's Palm Trees and Power Lines
• 25:45-31:14 Alex favourites including Alice Winocour's Paris Memories and Darlene Naponse's Stellar
• 31:14-50:34 The dominance of Netflix and streamers, Matthew Warchus's Matilda, Causeway
• 50:34-56:50 The festival circuit: great festival films from earlier this year that disappeared (My Small Land, Lullaby, 32 Sounds), screened only at local festivals (Nelly and Nadine, Framing Agnes) and films that keep coming back. We also discuss the London Film Festival's problematic approach to programming and why we love the Berlinale's programming.
• 56:50-1:00:24 The lack of live cinema experiences at festivals (like 32 Sounds) in a year when we are being forced to return to cinemas for festivals.
• 1:00:24-1:05:50 Directors' first features, Charlotte Wells's Aftersun, the rise of Paul Mescal, Georgia Oakley's Blue Jean
• 1:05:50-1:16:15 Depressing trends in British cinema and the British film industry and how that relates to the country's funding practices. We also draw comparisons to the Canadian film industry. Why is it so hard to get a second feature made? And why do first features have to conform so much to industry standards? We discuss Francis Lee's films, Hope Dickson Leach's film, and several Canadian filmmakers.
• 1:16:15-1:25:29 Thinking about National Cinema at film festivals, especially Canadian cinema and British cinema
• 1:25:29-1:31:36 Plan 75, Palm Trees and Power Lines, and other great under-seen first features that keep screening everywhere
• 1:31:36 Sign offs and related episodes

• Women at Cannes Season: Listen to our five-episode 2022 season on the history of Women directors at the Cannes Film Festival. We highlight some of the best films by women and women filmmakers to screen at the festival. We also discuss the festival's ongoing poor track record of programming films directed by wo