Day Six
8:23AM -- Welcome to Hump Day! It's officially the midpoint of the festival, though it feels like we've lived through five festivals back to back already.
9:52AM -- Mumbai filmmakers jockeying for position in their group photo backstage before the City to City Press Conference. Such a great range of filmmakers emerging out of Mumbai's new wave, all in one room.
12:45PM -- Hosting another lunch for Cameron Bailey's filmmakers. From India to Germany, this crowd brings a little bit of everything to the table. The always affable Margarethe Von Trotta and luminous Barbara Sukowa trade anecdotes from the set with documentarian Marc Wiese and French first time filmmaker Alice Winocour. Larry Kardish, Senior Curator at MoMa, discusses poster exhibitions and new installations with Indian maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.
2:20PM -- Lunch flows out into the street as we all decide to take a nice, leisurely walk back to the Lightbox. Beautiful sunny day. That's what's so great about these days later in the Festival: less rush, more time to relax a bit and enjoy.
3:37PM -- RSVPs coming in fast and furious for the City to City Party tonight, trying to manage numbers while still getting everyone in!
7:02PM -- Intense conversations at the Q&A for Camp 14: Total Control Zone, documentary on the only known man to escape a North Korean prison camp.
8:36PM -- Headed upstairs to check out the preparations for the rooftop City to City Party. The cupcakes have arrived! All decked out with our logos and images from the Mumbai programme, and one surprise cupcake with the face of the Festival, Mr. Cameron Bailey.
9:03PM -- My lovely volunteers have arrived. Unpacking boxes and boxes of gorgeous, colourful silk scarves straight from Mumbai, courtesy of our co-host for the party, the National Film Development Corporation.
10:00PM -- Guests waiting at the door to get into the City to City Party; Besharam's DJ Amita already spinning some fierce tunes; volunteers at the ready to deck guests out in our colourful scarves. Let the Party begin!
10:47PM -- Rapidly nearing capacity on the rooftop, gorgeous clear night. Haven't been able to leave the front door all night. Suddenly, a platter full of vegetarian, Indian-inspired appetizers appeared in front of me, courtesy of our amazing Events Manager. Can I get a glass of wine with that?
11:38PM -- Took a peek out on the roof just in time see an impromptu yet choreographed conga line dance snaking up and down the stairs! Multi-coloured scarves wave in time against the night's sky. A touch of Bollywood at this celebration of India's New Wave!
1:45AM -- Party still going strong. Finally can leave my post and head out to join the dancing, chatting, eating, drinking and laughing. I try to demure, but the flash of photos being snapped is unavoidable.
3:30PM -- Success! The City to City Mumbai Party was happening, happy guests flooding out into the streets decked out in our gift scarves. Cleaning up and heading home. In the line-up for tomorrow: the most important event to date -- Cameron's super secret, surprise Karaoke Night! Now should I get him to sing "Purple Rain" again or "When Doves Cry"?