How Bazin’s view on film festivals has not changed in over 50 years.

The renowned French critic Andre Bazin, wrote an article in his Cahiers du cinema in 1955 titled The Festival viewed as a religious order. Here, Mr. Bazin showcases two of his intellectual knowledges. One is the catholic faith (as he himself was a catholic); and the other, film festivals. Bazin will use the term ‘religious Order’ to describe his experience to the film festivals in the 1950s. While a lot has changed, I find myself sharing some of his views. It is impressive how even 50 years ago, film festivals were as big as they are now. Nowadays there might be more international film festivals, like that of the Beijing or Toronto, but the excitement is still the same. I have worked and attended TIFF, and I, seemingly, find myself admiring the flow, or wave if you like, that passes through the city of Toronto every year in September.

Looking from the outside or how ordinary patrons look at the festival, Bazin is right in comparing it to the very epitome of a worldly affair. This is one heck of a view the ordinary public has and feels as they attend. They are there to line up, wait accordingly (or not so much sometimes), and enjoy the film. How long can the ques for a particular film get? Well lets think, the capacity of some theatres maximums 600, plus the rush line, which can add up to 200+ if the film premiered is good. Then we have to quadrupole this number because of the different venues. And of course then we have festival street….and the red carpets, and then the people lining up to get their tickets for the upcoming days. With this amount of people ‘flowing’, it is impossible not to see the festival as a world fair. However, we must take into consideration the bone structure of the festival; the press and industry (P and I). These kind of patrons is what I am most familiar with. They are the reason why the ordinary public goes to see the films in the first place. Reading an article about the movie makes you generally decide weather to watch it or not. One might go watch the film just because a famous person was part of the film, but that film is nothing if it doesn’t have the proper advertisement and marketing.
Bazin in saying that P and I form a religious Order is not completely off the charts;

“I have witnessed first-hand the gradual perfecting of the Festival phenomenon, the practical creation of its rituals and its inevitable establishment of hierarchies. Its history is comparable, I would suggest, to the foundation of a religious Order; fully-fledged participation.” (Bazin.15). It does however, seems almost ironical to refer to these as forming a community. “The main feature of festival life lies in its moral obligations and the regularity of all its activities.” (Bazin. 16)

If anything it is every man for himself. What do I mean by this? Basically it’s a first come first serve situation. But these folks come from far away. So it’s basically an ‘arrive to airport, head to the cinema, first come first serve situation.’ The work in this religious Order is very demanding.
Bazin is right in describing their schedule as that of the religious. The festival becomes their new monastery. The P and I are not only there for one religious prayer, aka one film, but their whole body both mentally and physically transcend spiritually into a full on schedule of festival days where more than one film is watched daily. But what makes one part of the Order, how does one acquire such luxury, or such a torment? This is all thanks to the pass. The magical pass which let’s you see as many films as you please, whenever.

“The clothes don’t make the man, and membership in the Order is conferred by an electronic machine dispensing uncopiable cards, which will get you in. Once you’re standing on holy ground another hierarchy rises up – what might be called functional discrimination.” (Bazin.17)

And yes even by having the magical cards, there is still a hierarchy.

Bazin’s article is a critique towards the way film festivals transform films -again with the irony- into an industry. The role of the P and I comes to be just that. Nothing more or nothing less. By working at Tiff I felt the same way. I gazed at people’s faces to find that most of them had a tired and indignant faces. When really films are supposed to be enjoyed and consumed moderately.

“It is more redolent by far of an amazing albeit hard-working retreat, with cinema as its unifying spiritual focus, “(Bazin. 18)

Nevertheless, as I specified before, my point of view is paradoxical. I completely enjoyed working with the P and I as they really bring life to the festival. So yes, the festival overall is a world fair, but one that comes with a religious community.