The only major Media Press Event I was able to attend was the press conference at the start of the festival. The highlight of the festival for me was being able to interview one of the directors at the press conference. He was actually the director of the opening film for the festival so that was pretty cool. Participating in HIFF is always something I enjoy. This is my third year being part of the festival and each year it fascinates me the kinds of films that are showcased. I like how it helps people learn more about different cultures and lifestyles because there are many films of different countries.
The one film that influenced me the most was Hana’s Miso Soup. The reason is that it showed me the struggles of a family and how they were still able to appreciate and enjoy every aspect of their lives. It encouraged me to spend time with my family and enjoy every minute of it because anything can happen.
Overall, I really liked all of the films I saw. They were all interesting in their own way. Coming out of the festival I learned more more about the Turkish film industry and Japanese family values. This collaboration between HPU and HIFF is a useful learning and professional experience because participants get to watch how people in different cultures act and they also get to document it using the skills they learned in class. I would definitely recommend HIFF, especially to people who love film. It’s a great learning experience that everyone should try out.