As you may or may not be aware, the CPH:PIX film festival is currently ongoing in Copenhagen! Whether you’re a cinema enthusiast or just like to go to the movies every once in a while, I’m sure this is something that’s worth checking out. I have a guest post for you today from Ione, who is volunteering at the festival and shares her experiences and some tips with us. Have you been to the film festival? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below!
It’s that time of the year where cinema lovers in Copenhagen rejoice at the variety of films available for them to watch before their official release at cinemas. I’m talking about CPH:PIX, a film festival that runs every year for 14 days in the month of April, currently taking place in Copenhagen until the 22nd of April.
The film festival truly caters to everyone’s taste; whether you’re into action, comedy or drama, you are sure to find something worth seeing from a list of over 100 films and special events to choose from. There are more peculiar films for art lovers such as Portrait of the Artist, political films such as Murder in Pacot or biographies such as Saint Laurent. If you’re into international films, there are plenty to choose from countries such as France, Italy or Argentina, all shown in the original language with English subtitles.
So if you’re new to film festivals, you’ll probably be wondering how everything works. The short answer is that it is the same as going to the cinema regularly, the only difference is that the films available are screening only 3 days on average. Thus you need to be aware of the schedule, which you can find here. For certain films, you’ll be asked to cast a vote, as the Politiken Audience Award will be given at the end of the festival. There are plenty of extra activities for you to choose from, including concerts and special events before and after the screening of some films. In addition, you get the chance of meeting the directors of the films in Q&A sessions.
If you’ve never been to the cinema in Copenhagen, this would be a great chance to do so as you’re really missing out! The cinemas here have an old school feel to them and some of them such as the Grand look exactly like theaters, making the experience that much more enjoyable. If you like people watching, it is interesting to note the different habits Danes have going to the cinema; they tend to take beer or coffee to screenings rather than the usual and almost boring Coke and popcorn.
The downside to going to the cinema here is that it can be a bit expensive, which is why I decided to volunteer for the film festival instead. For every two hours of volunteering, you receive a CPH:PIX coupon which you can exchange for any film you’d like to watch, at any cinema of the city at any time. Some shifts include picking up directors at the airport, helping distribute voting ballots for the public award or preparing drinks for guests. There are many activities for everyone to get involved in, and the organizers welcome volunteers as the team itself is quite small.
I highly recommend the experience. Not only do you get to see films free of charge, but you also get to meet fellow cinema lovers from all over the globe. You get to choose the shifts you prefer, and the job itself isn’t tedious or exhausting by any means. You also get a cool t-shirt on you first shift!
The next event of the kind will be CPH:DOX, so if you’re looking for cool volunteering opportunities in the city, this one is one not to miss out. This film festival is the largest documentary film festival in Scandinavia, with over 200 films screening. Last year the event was held in November, so check the dates towards the summer and apply to help as a volunteer!
So now that you’re aware of the film festival, don’t miss out! You still have time until the 22nd of April to go watch a film.
This guest post was written by Ione Mignogna. She works as an intern at surveybee.es, a Spanish platform where users can register to survey panels and start earning rewards for their opinions.
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