This year I have been tracking three or four films for the 2014 Surprise Film but, in keeping with JDIFF tradition, it has not been confirmed as we go to print with the festival catalogue. Described by one of its most devoted fans as ‘the festival’s most sacred and respected tradition’, the Surprise Film screening is always one of the first to sell out and the source of constant speculation in the run up to the festival and for the duration of the event itself. So be brave and take a risk on one of the festival’s hottest and most surprising films!
For many years I was one of many filmgoers addicted to the annual pleasure of booking a ticket for a film about which I knew absolutely nothing. The ritual starts with the growing sense of excitement as the Savoy auditorium fills, the last minute suggestions placed in the competition boxes, followed by the gasps which accompany the trailers that kick off proceedings. Then the lights dim and the opening credits are revealed...
Gráinne Humphreys
