Finally!

Finally the internet connection is working, and I can get started... For those who were wondering (especially my mother and father - who left a comment to my previous message), despite a bumpy ride on a Tupolev airplane from Moscow to Perm, I am safe and well. And enjoying myself quite a bit. The connection is not working properly yet, and I cannot post pictures yet, so stay tuned for those.

In the meantime, a few impressions.

I left on Friday at midday from Madrid to arrive at Moscow five hours later. The Russians have a funny rule that if you have more than a 3 hour layover, you are not allowed to check your luggage all the way through but instead have to collect it and check in all over again in Moscow. I can tell you that I needed nearly all my five hours just to get to the other terminal rolled up like a sardine in a black-smoke-puffing bus, go through security and then check in again.

My first impressions about the country are full of contrasts. It's big and I haven't seen anything yet, but a few things stand out immediately. Russia is a very old-fashioned country in desperate need of some maintenance and a new tie. The airport area in Moscow was an absolute mess, and the people all seemed tired and in need of a joke or a big kiss to get them to smile. Waiting for my connecting flight on a Friday night right after midnight, I saw nothing but drunk people! Everyone seemed to have a beer in their hand or was stumbling around. And as was to be expected, the Tupolev airplane was old, cranky and bumpy, and you should have seen the ground staff vehicles at the Perm airport... It all fit my stereotypes.

But then, as ever and after that first visual impression which is always confusing and distant, you quickly get a chance to experience the human aspect. And hey, nothing but good stuff! The only locals we have contact with are the staff members of the festival, and we have had only fantastic, welcoming and warm experiences. Russians really know how to make one feel at home, and as such, how to throw a party (I am referring to the party after the opening ceremony of the festival, which included over-aged local traditional singers and birthday-party type games - not to mention that transparent stuff they like drinking over here).

I say "we" because there is a nice collection of directors from a variety of countries, which is always interesting. And the documentary community is so small, that we all know the same people. We haven't seen much audience, so we all go to each other's screenings and are the first ones to start clapping. Despite the obvious competition, as we are in fact after the same awards...

Yesterday at the opening ceremony they showed the Danish film Monastery (dir: Pernille Rose Gronkjaer), an absolute masterpiece. I don't know if it's going to be on somewhere near you, but keep an eye out for the title this coming year or so. And tomorrow they're showing a film called Casting!! Haha. I have a screening at 11AM and one at 6PM, so wish me luck. I learned a few Russian phrases for my presentation.

And with that, I have to leave you, because I should get some sleep. More tomorrow. Hopefully with some pickies...

Bye! K x