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... Berlin ... Venice ... Edinburgh? |
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What's
the biggest festival? There's no easy way to answer this question,
as we learned when this arose one day in the office. A French staffer
cried Cannes. An American cried Sundance. But wait -- Toronto screens
the most films and Berlin boasts the most admissions. Perhaps there
was no easy answer. So we made up some new questions to find out
which festival really is the biggest. The answers may surprise you.
And as for the big winner? We leave that to you.
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Oldest
Festival
Mostra
Internazionale D'arte Cinematografica - Venice
Venice will celebrate its 58th edition in 2001. The Festival
was created in the 1930s as part of the Biennale Arts Festival.
A great success, it soon found its own stand-alone identity,
but was suspended during the war years. Revived in the late
forties, Venice is still considered a major European event.
In second place comes Cannes and Locarno, both will be celebrating
their 54th edition in 2001.
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Longest
Continually Running Festival
Having
celebrated its 54th year in 2000, the Edinburgh International
Film Festival is the longest continually running film festival.
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Longest
Festival
The
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival celebrated its
15th edition screening 100 feature films during 28 days (October
16 - Nov 12, 2000). In second place comes the Seattle International
Film Festival, which screens over 180 feature films during
24 days (May 18 - June 11, 2000).
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Most
frequented
Festivals
evaluate this differently. If we look at admissions, Berlin
claims 390,000, Rotterdam 320,000 and Locarno 180,000. Others
prefer to talk in number of visitors (or passes) which would
place Berlin around 50,000, Venice 36,000, Cannes 30,000,
and Sundance at 20,000.
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Most
Films
The
Toronto International Film Festival is surely exceptional
in this category. For the year 2000 edition, 329 films were
screened in fifteen programs during ten days.
On
the shorts side of the festival, Annecy International Animated
Film Festival in France presented 520 films at their year
2000 edition.
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