Cooking at KINO

"What I like about KINO is that we cook." Geneviève says this as she sautees mushrooms and onions and steak in the kitchen. Louis-Philippe boils water for pasta on a burner next to her. As a good American, I "nuke" some leftover Thai, and discuss hockey with François--the season began today and the city seemed to soften (or harden, depending on what team you're on). Pasta or sautee or microwaveables, today I learned what it is to really cook at KINO. I worked for fifteen hours, and this is what it smelled like:

Tonight I attended my first Soirée Mensuelle (the monthly projection where films made by anybody and everybody are randomly selected from a box and screened for an enthusiastic and welcoming audience of over 200). My task: sell tickets, sell t-shirts (okay, only two), pronounce my greetings as perfectly as possible, and avoid whiplash when one of the theatre staff (not a Kinoite) started beating up a spectator for eating in the auditorium (yeah, I was more than mildly alarmed). The second half of the show I was finally able to sit in the dark and suck in some of Canada's more interesting short films. I'm amazed at the number of people that invest their time not only in making these films, but also those that come each month in support of such grassroots and passionate art. I'm encouraged too by KINO's mission--that anyone's film can be shown. I'm not sure there's anything else quite like that.

The Soirée Mensuelle depends on audience participation. All filmmakers bring their movie and put it in a box at least 30 minutes before the beginning of a show. If their film is drawn, they are invited to come on stage and introduce their film. Humor is a major part of the show, and I'm sure (once I can figure out this darned accent!) it's all very self-referencing. The MC yells "Eh, Toussaint," and throws the tape to François (the mussels from belllll-jum) who in turn runs it back to the sound deck. This sort of activity excites me! FILMMAKING! At a KINO projection, there is no hierarchial separation between filmmaker and spectator. One is strongly encouraged to play both roles.

In the end, what impressed me the most was the vast appeal of KINO. It was started by two college seniors, and it's spread to over five continents in the span of nine years. People DIG it! At most projections, then, the various KINO cells are brought together, as the best KINO films from around the world become accessible to this Montrealais audience. Tonight's feature: films from Trouville, France.

So, although the day was long, and there are longer days ahead in the future, I guess this sort of cuisine will keep me in the kitchen. And hopefully, I'll shrug off whatever it is that hinders me from making my own films. "Do well with nothing, do better with a little, and DO IT NOW"--KINO's motto, and something I feel I've neglected in my diet.