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Lab of Festival Journalism | Film Reviews from Les Arcs Film Festival
The 16th edition of the Les Arcs Film Festival (December 13 to 21, 2024) hosted the Lab of Festival Journalism, where 6 young European journalists honed their skills through screenings, workshops, and hands-on reporting. Here are the first reviews from the participants!
Peacock
A film by Bernhard Wenger
Cast: Albrecht SCHUCH, Anton NOORI, Julia FRANZ RICHTER
Austria, Germany | 2024 | 103’
"Peacock" (Pfau – Bin ich echt?) is the debut film by the Austrian director Bernhard Wenger, showcased at this year’s 16 th edition of Les Arcs Film Festival. The film has previously been pitched at Talent Village of the same festival in 2018, and is now competing for the Crystal Arrow.
This satirical comedy follows Matthias (Albrecht Schuch), a successful employee at a rent-a-friend agency that allows clients to hire someone to pose as a friend, fictional son, boyfriend, or other roles for any occasion. When his wife leves him, his life becomes a hectic mess, and a search for a meaning.
Read the full review, by Jovana Dinić, here
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Toxic
A film by Saulė BLIUVAITĖ
Cast: Ieva RUPEIKAITĖ, Vesta MATULYTĖ, Giedrius SAVICKAS
Lithuania | 2024 | 99’
"Toxic" (Akiplėša), a Lithanian film directed and written by Saulė Bliuvaitė, was screened at the Les Arcs Film Festival as a part of the competition selection, followed by a Q&A session. The director’s feature debut premiered at the Locarno Film Festival where it won the Golden Leopard, and has since been circulating through acclaimed festivals all over the world.
The story is set in a small Lithuanian town, a sort of toxic environment, that many wish to escape. Marija and Kristina are 13-year old enemies-turned-friends who join a modeling agency hoping it would be their way out. Instead, this experience only further complicates their relationships with their bodies, pushing them to cross physical limits. Toxic is personal to Bliuvaitė, as it’s shot in her hometown Kaunas, a place that wasn’t far different than how it’s portrayed in the film. In her younger years, the idea of escaping for a better life was popular in the 90s Lithuania and its many blonde, tall and lean girls tried to fight for it by modeling. But modeling imposed beauty standards impossible to keep up with especially for teenagers whose bodies are constantly changing.
Read the full review, by Anja Šćepanović, here
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New reviews coming soon: stay tuned!
For more information about the Lab of Festival Journalism : https://miob.info/lab-of-cultural-creative-and-festival-journalism
