yearbook 2004/05 - The European Film College

e paper missing or something. “It is working
fine”, the woman answered with a hint of disapproval
in her voice. Why would the fax not
be working? Paper missing? Please... It actually
happens that people give wrong fax numbers
she said and looked Harriet straight in the eyes
and that made Harriet feel a little uncomfortable.
She decided to show more interest for the
summer activities. Maybe that would help the
woman to warm up again, she didn’t look like a
person you would like to argue too much with.
“Well, and then in August we hosted a workshop
of an regular customer, Nordisk Film again.
You must know it, the company that produces
films and programmes for many TV stations.
It was a heatwave during their stay and the library
where they were sitting was like a Finnish
sauna”, she continued with at dreaming look in
her eyes. Finnish sauna, of course, there was the
explanation for her accent. Harriet asked if she
came form Finland and realized that this comment
had melted the ice that could be felt in
the air when she had questioned the reliability
of the fax machine. “Yes, indeed I do”, said the
woman delighted and complimented Harriet
on her fantastic ability to distinguish different
languages and accents.
Then she continued her talk about the previous
summer. Harriet counted that there could not
be too many arrangements left since they were
already in the beginning of August. Great. She
desperately needed a nap, as she had been sitting
in the editing room almost the whole night
keeping company to a cute maybe-this-is-theboyfriend-for-the-rest-of-the-term.
“Danish Film Institute returns in the end of
every August for their short and documentary
film meeting. They are usually around 150 people
so you can believe that everybody is busy
during that weekend,” continued the woman.
If Harriet had managed to keep her eyes open
she would have noticed that the woman was
looking at her with a hint of disapproval on her
face.
SUMMER 2003
“And then, our last guests that summer were
school teachers who participated in a very succesful
seminar on film education in schools.
They were here in September, just before the
new 8-month students arrived.”
There was a nice silence and Harriet was drifting
aimlesly in her cosy slumber, just where
the reality gets mixed with the dreams creating
strange connections with the sounds and words
the ears are hearing and occasional brain activity.
Now for example the woman was talking
about one thing she had forgotten to tell about.
A 5-day course in Rome in September for cinema
exhibitors where the college was one of
the organizers and where the participants had
a chance to visit some interesting cinemas and
the legendary Italian film mecca, Cinecittá.
Harriet tried to get herself to wake up but
dreamt instead about a Colosseum that was rebuilt
into a megaplex with the seats made of
candy and where the woman was howering up
in the air, swaying on a broom fighting against
flying colourful popcorn. Then a soft comfortable
silence fell around her.
It was dark outside when she woke up. Her
neck was hurting and her mouth was dry, she
must have been dribbling in her sleep. How
embarrassing. She raised her head and felt that
somebody was looking at her. The room was
empty but there was a strange reflexion on the
large office window. It looked like the face of
the office woman, still on the broom with Colosseum
in the background. How odd. Suddenly
Harriet felt a light breeze, the air smelled like
a sunny summer day, of freshly cut grass and
flowers. The woman’s hair was blowing in the
breeze and she was looking at Harriet. Harriet
could have sworn that the face on the window
smiled at her as it turned to look at the fax.
Slowly a paper with Harriet’s name came out.
The fragile remains of almost inexistent family
peace were restored. She didn’t need to call her
father.