Trusting only the opinion of the renowned movie critics and volunteering at the IFFR with far-reaching goals, Beer Boudewijn, 19, student at the Erasmus School of Economics, talks about his thoughtful approach to the festival.
Choose mindfully
“I usually rely on the reviews of the famous American critic, Roger Ebert. Unfortunately, he passed away recently, but his team still fills the website with professional high-quality content. You might say I am a hipster in the way I choose movies. I don’t trust pop websites like IMDB or Rottentomatoes. I also never watch trailers. I think it spoils the experience and discourages you from going and seeing the film”.
Plan deliberately
“I wanted to volunteer at the festival, because I think it is nice to help out if you can, even it is a small thing. Even though I love movies, when the coordinators gave us a list of possible positions, I chose to work at the coffee bar at Schouwburg to get some experience in the catering sector. Usually a shift lasts 4 or 5 hours. It may sound like a lot, but it is not super intense. People come and go, because there are screenings in between. So it’s been fun, but, as a student, I sometimes had difficulties communicating with my older colleagues because we have different ideas of efficiency”.
Watch carefully
“I did not get to watch a lot of movies, because I don’t think it’s the point. When you are a volunteer, you try to work as much as possible. Otherwise, it seems like a holiday with the unlimited pass to the screenings. I’ve seen three films: Timbuktu, Yo quedo contigo and Laggies. My favorite is definitely Timbuktu. There aren’t many films about current issues, so I especially enjoyed a scene, where they showed the tension between extremists and the imam at a Mosque”. KS
