The CineFiles

I love the Secret Festival and this year, it’s under a new programmer, Interim Artistic Director Beth Barrett. Though we miss Carl Spence (and his amazing blazers) Beth is knocking it out of the park so far. I wish I could tell you what delicious cinema treat we were served, but that’s the whole point of the Secret Festival: what’s shown is kept SECRET, usually due to issues with rights around screening the films in public. You have to sign a contract IN BLOOD (just kidding about the blood part – or am I?) to get your entry badge, promising not to divulge what you see because otherwise SIFF management could get in a lot of deep legal doodoo and nobody wants that. If you’re curious, you’ll just have to buy a pass for next year and join the cabal!

I can totally tell you about Ivan Tsarevitch and the Changing Princess, however. It was another fine entry from silhouette animation master Michel Ocelot. His films are always such a visual treat. And if you enjoy his work, I recommend looking for the films of Lotte Reiniger made during the first half of the 20th century.