Toulouse Day 3- El Fin

Yesterday was the final day of the workshops, where we presented and defended our projects . The CINE ESTELI project attracted a lot of positive attention and interest – with plenty of great advice and information provided as well. This has given me renewed enthusiasm and hope for the project.
One of the most interesting elements of yesterday's work was learning about UTOPIA cinemas, small chain of arthouse venues in the south of France which adhere to a very strict set of rules: no ads, no popcorn, and no compromise on programming. They only play films they love, and I was pleased to see that includes things like SHUTTER ISLAND. I wonder if this is the kind of thing that only could work in France.
The last film that was screened for us was the Mexican docu-drama hybrid ALAMAR. As some of you know, lately not many films have impressed me too much, and I seem to be impossible to please. With that in mind, let me tell you that this is the best film of 2010 by a country mile. Running at only 73 minutes, its the incredibly moving story of a fishing trip of a grandfather, father and son in the coral reefs of the Yucatan Peninsula. Funny, beautiful, natural, and pure joy from beginning to end, its film I would watch again in a second.
So today I fly back to the UK where a very big pile of work awaits me. See you down at the Dukes.