For Matthew Downs, the path to becoming a curator at the Forest City Film Festival (FCFF) in London, Ontario was anything but predictable.
As a child, he had set his sights firmly on the theatre. “At the age of 9, I decided that I wanted to direct Shakespeare, Beckett, and Chekhov, and that would be my life,” recalls Downs. His young self turned up his nose at popular animated films and action movies, reasoning, “How could I, a sophisticated child, stoop to a lower art form like film?”
But everything changed when he saw Christopher Nolan’s Inception. “I remember sitting in the back row of that movie theatre with tears in my eyes and my jaw on the floor. I had no idea it could be like this!” he recalls. And from that moment, film was his obsession. He worked his way through IMDb’s top 250 films, then continued, devouring every film he could find. Now, “this was what I wanted to do with my life,” Downs affirms. And his dedication to the medium has defined his entire career to date. “It’s been no looking back since then.”
Currently in his role as the curator of the “Best of the World Fests” category at FCFF, Downs is responsible for bringing his love of global cinema to local audiences, a role that he approaches with a balance of personal passion and curatorial rigour. “It’s such a gift and a privilege to be able to share films that I love with our audience,” he enthuses. His selection process for the October festival is thorough, and begins months in advance. “As soon as the new year begins, I’m scouring the internet for reviews and buzz about new movies,” Downs explains. And “ultimately, I would say that personal taste is about 75% of it, because if I don’t passionately love a movie, I don’t want to dedicate my energy to telling people that they need to come out and see it.”
This year’s festival, which runs from October 19 to 27, promises an exciting lineup of films that reflect Downs’ vision. One of this year’s highlights is a tribute to London native Victor Garber, the acclaimed Canadian actor whose long and distinguished career has spanned television, film, and Broadway. Celebrating local talent is central to FCFF, and Garber’s tribute is a marquee event that showcases the festival’s connection to its home city.
In addition to curating films for the festival, Downs is also passionate about fostering connections within the film community. His experiences attending TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) since 2012 inform this passion, especially as he now covers festivals through his YouTube channel Fantasy Filmball. Launched during his second year at Toronto Metropolitan University with “5 dorky movie fans” in 2018, the channel was at first a game played among friends. It has since grown… played by a few hundred people and morphed into a YouTube channel where Downs can “geek out about movies year-round.”
In 2023, Downs decided to do some vlog-style coverage of the festival for the YouTube channel, which has really pushed him to the limit of his review skills. Fantasy Filmball attracts a niche audience, allowing him to discuss films that haven’t yet hit the mainstream. “It’s super important to have an outlet to talk about those extremely specific fixations that may only matter to you and 20 other people,” he smiles. And Downs’ curatorial gig and festival attendance also yield more mainstream pleasures. One of his all-time favourite moments was the “surreal experience” of meeting two movie stars at a late-night diner in 2022, after a screening of The Fabelmans: “I’ll always be able to tell the story of splitting an apple pie milkshake with a major actor at the Lakeview”, he enthuses.
At FCFF, Downs’ curatorial approach is both personal and global. “I have to narrow it down to what will resonate the most with the audience, and will showcase a diverse selection that samples a wide variety of cinemas from around the globe,” he explains. And one of this year’s standout features is the South Asian Community Day, a celebration of films from India and Pakistan. The day will also include a live art installation, an animation seminar, and a dance performance—evidence of the festival’s commitment to showcasing diverse cultural perspectives, alongside film screenings.
Curating at FCFF also has familial significance for Downs, as the festival was founded by his mother Dorothy Downs: “Working with family in this way is great. It means that there’s a level of trust between us that’s already built in.” That trust – and a true sense of partnership – have meant that he can take some risks and stand behind the films he truly loves: “I have almost complete say on what goes into my lineup, and to be trusted like that is an incredibly rare thing.”
The process of selection is not without its challenges, however. “The hardest part … is how many movies I love, which I know would be perfect, but which we can’t get for the festival for a variety of reasons – usually regarding the film’s release strategy not including film festivals in October,” he allows. This year especially, it hurt him to watch several films that he loved “slipping through my fingers, for reasons beyond our control”.
That said, he is thrilled and filled with pride about the lineup he has assembled. “People usually ask, ‘What’s your favourite movie at the festival?’” he notes. And while he stands by them all, he points to The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a film about the Women Life Freedom protests in Iran, as a standout: “This is the type of movie that has the power to change the world”. And he also highlights Universal Language and Eephus as two films that made him “belly laugh” and reflect deeply. “I love the whole lineup! I just extra love these,” he adds with a grin.
Find Downs’ diverse curatorial discoveries – all driven by his deep love of cinema and his passionate, intensive process of global research – at the 9th annual Forest City Film Festival from October 19 – 27, 2024 in London, Ontario.
Reserve tickets and passes at fcff.ca.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
