So now I've turned umpty-nine. It's a good age. I've got this upcoming week off, and I will be watching little or no films, to make up for the following:

Bawke (one of the more interesting short films of the festival)

My Country My Country (about Iraqi elections)

4.30 (Singaporean, painfully long)

Passabe (story of an East Timorese man owning up to his part in the 1999 massacre, as part of the truth and reconcilliation process. Not the best docco but subject matter of course very interesting)

Global Haywire (Bruce Petty animated documentary that he calls a "dialogue" - flashes of brilliance including comments from the brilliant Robert Fisk, who should be briefing the White House).

Deliver Us From Evil (best documentary I saw in the festival, which had many good doccos. This one was about the Catholic Church. Not being religious, I didn't think it would get to me as much as it did. It was devastating. Brilliantly researched and made a real case showing that the abuse of kids has been part of the structure of the religious order for centuries).

Offside (funny Iranian film about women trying to watch a soccer match)

Em 4 Jay (Australian film about two junkies in love)

Heart, Beating in the Dark (remake of old Japanese film. Go the Japanese with their presumption that the audience is cleverer than they are).

Mind Game (Japanese anime. Completely insane).

... This means that I have seen, I think, forty-seven films in the last eighteen days.

Also, what it means, is that I am now on holiday for a week. I have no idea where I'm going, if indeed I am going anywhere, because Stewart has decided to "surprise" me with a "plan". Given that the word "Stewart" has never before been deliberately and un-ironically paired with the word "plan", and given also that the word "surprise" should be kept well away from the word "Lorin", I am anxious to find out how my future is going to pan out. I do know one thing. I don't think I will be seeing 47 films in the next eighteen days. If I can at all help it.