Oddly, I don’t have a subscription to filmfest this year though I’ve had one for the previous 21 years. I don’t really have the stamina this year and so much of my life has changed in the last year or so. I do have access to a friend’s flexipass and will probably get an additional flexipass but still anticipating seeing a lot less films this year. One of the things I was looking forward to was recovering the excitement of going through the programme and working out what I want to see. In the early years of the subscription, you had access to everything and often had to choose which films to see at which time. The last bunch of years, a subscription has only entitled the holder to a set list of films in the one cinema, albeit the majestic State Theatre.

Of course, the downside of not having a subscription is that I no longer simply turn up, no longer is my viewing already selected and booked. It’s been very hard to adjust and it’s only been this week, and start of festival, that has seen me getting out the programme and working out what I want to see. Sundays seem to be the best days, with both Sundays having 4 films on at the same time that I want to see :-) Having made my selections, the next trick is to book tickets, and having left it so late that’s proving to have its own fun.

Tonight I have tried to book tickets for Sunday (tomorrow). At least one or two films were already sold out. Another had “tickets selling fast” but then I refreshed 10 minutes later and it too had sold out. That was a little frustrating. Oh well. We’ve still managed to book into 3 films across 3 cinemas, all in the city thankfully. One is in the State and I’ve managed to book seats near my old subscriber seats so I’m looking forward to seeing the regulars. That’s the other hard bit of giving up the subscription, missing out on seeing the folk that I sit with each year.