Cinema is like a Zombie; it dies, mostly it pretends to, and then it comes back to life, Cinema pretends.
It is make-believe from start to finish. That’s the name of the game. Is Cinema dead? It smells terrible,
but it ain’t dead. We mean, Cinema can’t always smell like popcorn, lousy breath, and perfume; there are
times when it smells like Jim Carrey’s farts or Durian, or gangrene. Forget about it. Truth is, Cinema
never smells of anything unless you’re John Waters and you come up with something like ODORAMA; see...
Odorama was a little card you had to scratch at different times during a film called Polyester by John
Waters: so imagine scratching a little card at said times of the movie...you smell nasty underwear, then
pumpkin pie, then you smell blood, cordite, peppermint.
Now, the WIPE film festival will bring Odorama back into fashion. How? We ain’t sure yet…
Summer is about to be wiped off our brows like pearls of sweat; imagine a cold pint of FUERST WIACEK bringing a refreshing note of autumn to our evenings. And what better opportunity to do so as our friends from FUERST WIACEK brewery are holding an open house today. We think it is the best way to kick off your afternoon on this hot summer evening, and that is why we all hope to see you there. Pop over, make some new friends, and taste some new beer. You can discuss what’s new at the Venice Film Festival or have a civilized dispute over which team is better, Union or Hertha, or you can give it a go at the Schrodinger equation. In the end, you’re holding a nice refreshing glass of beer. Hardly anything can go wrong. Also, there is nothing wrong with silence... More here.
Ahhhh....Vernissages, beautiful French term that always adds a refined touch even to events that end up being acts of total debauchery. Well, here at WIPE we like to have a little of everything, we're the Ceaser Salad of Amateur Film Fests. There's the crounchy croutons: the unexpected speeches or the Q&A with the directors who make it to the premiere, usually kept to a bare minimum. There's the salad... But that's as far as we'll go with the food cliches. There's enough of that already so let's get back on track little cinephiles... WIPE is a film festival, where if a movie moved you to tears, you can get up and go have a vodka at a bar that is only a few meters behind you. For instance if you are one of the directors and people applauded your flick you can go celebrate with a beer. Or if people got up during the screening you might as well join them and drink your sorrow away, while eavesdropping on not always constructive critiques. ou can listen to what people have to say. It is kinda fun wether they're right or wrong. The screening is relentless but there is an electronic music feature presentation and a disco dancing grand finale, as WIPE is a unique beast. One minute it's a movie fest, the next it's a involuntary stand up act. You go to relieve yourself and as you come back the whole movie fest has mutated into a dance floor. At any stage, you can get up and have a drink with your friend, make up with your partner, have a cigarette and chase it with a vodka or the other way around. WIPE is Bipolar, he or she keeps on changing, it depends on how you look at it. Nevertheless the focus is on amateur movies, they've kept pouring in like a beautiful summer storm on a wet picnic in Görlitzer Park.
Well hello movie buffs, and just buff people and people who go to buffets (all you can watch movie classics, not food you fatsos!) and amateurs all over the world: this year’s coming to an end, and perhaps the world is too or maybe not, but just in case keep up your amateur spirit as Xmas spirit is a sugary thing concocted by Coca-cola, so be pagan, be amateur, get your anti-pack shot at all costs and remember there is nothing as rewarding as unaware extras...
Mistakes are great. We mean occasionally. In science, in haute cuisine but also in film-making. If you’re an amateur you will cherish your mistakes, not all of ‘em but at least some... Like this piece of shit angle shot looks really good at the end of the day. The lighting is askew but you know what, sometimes you need that gritty look, like Clint Eastwood’s expression that makes him look like he’s always interrupted while taking a dump... You might be lactose intolerant but cheese was invented by mistake, so wipe not make a movie that will be remembered as the Blue Cheese of films?!
X-mass movies are a big classic, they help us go through comatose states induced by festive consumption of food and alcohol, deadly concoctions such as eggnog and whatever silly shit you’re forced to gobble down in the name of the lord (all three major religions we guess), but for instance we know for a fact that folks watch “Trading Places” with Murphy, Akroyd and a splendid Jamie Lee Curtis...Also the “Arthu” saga with Dudley Moore, “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, “Bad Santa” which involves lotsa drinking and Billy Bob Thorthon and a black midge, Frank Capra’s “It’s a wonderful life” shot right after WWII. So what’s your poison in terms of movies, drugs, alcohol and food that supposedly gets you through this wonderful time of the year?
What makes amateur films special? First of all, there is a lack of boundaries. In professional film-making, you’re constantly struggling to stay within the norm. The norm is dictated by the need to make money, to please mainstream audiences. Amateurs are free, yet they still face boundaries that are mostly dictated by their lack of funds, but other than that... they are free. Be free. Choose your own boundaries. Choose not to have any, except for cash, of course. But there is always a crime to resort to, and crime-based scripts are always a doozy.
Our smoking dresses are back at the rental, engaging in the endless war between moths and mothballs. But festivals never sleep, like meth heads and parents of teething triplets. A fistful of partners in dreams are scurrying from one side of town to the other, fetching funds, collecting empties, banana peels, kids from school, booking rehabs, snoozing on the U-bahn, little worker bees from a to b, movies will soon pour down on next year’s Festival…