International Film Festival Rotterdam 24 Jan - 4 Feb 2007

Web site: www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com

Actually I only went for 1 film (yes one film!). But it was academic work, truely!

This film festival shows all sorts of films from all over the world, most of which don't get any where near the mainstream 'hollywood' cinema near you. And it gives financial awards to encourage the directors and filmakers to keep producing things that question the fictional 'truths' of cinema.

Actually Holland is pretty close to where I live in the UK. I was able to drive to Norwich, leave my car there, fly to Amsterdam (45 minutes) take a train to Rotterdam and get a ticket to see my film at 1.15 pm on Saturday 4th February. Then I got a place to sleep at a very good hostel on the old harbour area there (www.roomrotterdam.nl) for 22 euros, including sheets. Very nice self service kitchen where I met some great travellers from Canada, Hungary (who were in the film industry), Spain, and Brazil ... ah Brazil. Brazil is why I did this trip, more in a minute...
Also a 64 year old lady from the UK who helped me chew the fat over my next life move - thank you Christina! The next day I took the train to the Hook of Holland, and used the last of my money, and my unstamped train ticket to get the ferry back to Harwich. Luckily the trip included food! I had a real interesting time speaking to an australian digital graphics film maker and a british serviceman (who had been in Afghanistan and Iraq). I got in at 8pm and called my husband to pick me up - no money for the train, and needed to get the car out of car park at Norwich airport! Weather - thick fog and predicted snow. And it turned out - bird flu at Bernard Matthews just along the road to Norwich. Anyway, husband was so incensed at my activities that he accidently filled the car with petrol instead of Diesel, and had to call the RAC to drain it all out - 3 hours later came to get me, with nephew in tow. (Nephew told me all this!) So to Norwich in freezing fog, husband has to use credit card for my parking, leaves me and nephew to find car, defrost it, and then find petrol is on 'yellow'. I drove in the freezing fog at less than 40 miles an hour in the middle of the night 50 miles down the A11, and made it home!!!!!. So - in fairness - my interesting life at the expense of others???