This month work wound down and we visited my family for my Dad’s birthday and an early Christmas celebration. The holidays themselves have been spent relaxing, and it has been much needed.
I struggled to think of a name for this post, which sums up my overall impression of 2022. It’s been a bit of an indifferent year for me personally, and I struggle to find things of note. I spent lots of time with family because of a health issue, which sucked because of the health issue and was great because of the time spent with family. Professionally it was also a mixed bag. I set up a new Photography degree but didn’t get any progression in my pay for the first time in fifteen years, which sucked. In some ways I am positive about it though, as it has been an opportunity to climb in the last few years that has taken me further away from filmmaking and into places (like administration) that I don’t want to be in. So it has been refreshing to refocus on some music (I have around 60% of a new project completed) and some film (I have embryonic ideas, and I’m not committing to anything at this stage).
I managed to read more books this year than previous years (65) but at a lower average page count and including a graphic novel binge in the Spring, so not sure how remarkable that is. I also just got over the line with 151 films, which included some shorts in December, but also some long ass films, so it evens out. It also included the Dekalog, which is technically 10 episodes of TV and is way more than one film, but hey, who is counting?? My notable books this year would be The Hidden Tools of Comedy, Being Mortal and 100 Acts of Minor Dissent. Films would be Everything, Everywhere, All At Once followed by Boiling Point and Gandhi. It’s difficult deciding such things because I later feel like something has stuck in my mind long after watching it, even if I didn’t appreciate it at the time.
I have no predictions or ambitions for 2023. I have a feeling that the political and economic scene will provide enough drama to cope with. I will take a few steps towards being more of the person that I’d like to be and see where it gets me. I’ll report back on that next year.
READ: The Film Director’s Intuition– Judith Weston, Creativity Begins With You – Andy Neal and Dion Star
WATCHED: Office Christmas Party, Anima, The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire, Christmas with The Kranks, Babylon, Pinocchio (2022), SoulBoy, My Neighbours the Yamadas, Boiling Point, The Story of Film: A New Generation, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, A Christmas Story, Jai Bhim, Big Hero 6, The Snail and the Whale, Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape, The Best Years of Our Lives
