This year SPOT Festival offered a fully unfolded film programme to complement the extensive concert line-up. The initiative was well-received by both the SPOT concert goers and the new film crowd – not least on the last day, when SPOT moved into the cinema Øst for Paradis.
‘We are thrilled about the last three days of film screenings. Especially Sunday in Øst for Paradis was a massive success with long queues for every screening’, concludes Carsten Holst, CEO/Manager of Filmby Aarhus, following the first edition of the attempt to include film in SPOT Festival programme.
Three days in a row, audiences were treated to film screenings, director sessions, panel discussions and interactive film concepts at the venues Godsbanen and Øst for Paradis.
‘We have been eager to see how the audience would receive our attempt to make films part the SPOT Festival, and we can now conclude that it made good sense for both audience and industry’, says the Filmby Aarhus CEO and continues:
‘It bodes well for the future and our shared project to create a strong industry and audience festival at the forefront of trends within music, film and the interactive universe’.
Film fest in Øst for Paradis
Both Danish and international directors accompanied their film with Q&As and were delighted to meet with other directors, the audience and the SPOT Festival in general. The main film day was Sunday in the cinema Øst for Paradis. On this day the entire film programme was available for viewing or reviewing garnished with intimate concerts from, among other artists, Chorus Grant and Ida Wenøe in the cinema’s newly-refurbished foyer.
Even better next year
SPOT has put special attention on films that mix visual expression with music and interactive media – and this cocktail has been popular.
‘The interactive film and concert Story Music with Teitur was a huge hit as was the same with Peter Sommer, Keep Camping and the concerts with visuals such as Nordlyd and the Kraftwerk concert’, says Anders Søndergaard, head of SPOT Film. He also highlights the interactive film installation Skammekrogen that was fully booked both days at the Godsbanen venue.
’It’s an entirely new discipline to create a film festival that is integrated into an already existing music festival. Therefore, it is only natural that we have learned things throughout the weekend – and already now we can start looking towards next year’s festival and making the adjustments that will result in an even better SPOT Film a year from now’, says Anders Søndergaard.
