Persepolis

I took a late day today sorting stuff out at home before venturing outdoors. I either arrive a good half hour before screenings or bang on time. Because I had to return DVDs in Brick Lane, today was a bang on time day. Trouble is, on arrival, there was another 20 people who were bang on time in the queue. After about 5 mins, a woman said, 'I have a spare ticket if anyone wants it'. I would have gotten a free one anyway but I called to her just before she went back it. She'd paid for her ticket and gave it to me for free. We ended up sitting next to each other.

The film, an animation about a girl growing up in Tehran and then moving to Austria and then back to Tehran was really good. Funny, tragic and touching. Extremely funny. It was the best thing I saw in the festival so far. By a long shot.

Went for a drink with my new friend who was from Israel. We had a discussion about the conflict (middle east) and about Hong Kong and China. She teaches film theory and is also completing a PHD. In the future I may help her on a lecture with cinematography.

It was nice to meet a new friend out of such circumstances and as she said, only in London can one perhaps do that, and maybe in New York. Diversity.

I have been taking snaps with my phone over the last few months. What I call, Phonography. Most of which I have taken on the fly, between work, while walking. It's a little like Lomography except with a little more thought in the framing. Also the other difference being the digital artifacting as difference to the vignetting in a lomo. Here are some...

South London

The South Bank

Central London

Compton Street, Central London

North London

West London

Tate Modern

cameras on phones are great. From a wider perspective, it allows anyone who has one to take images more than they previous would (not having a camera on them and/or not being into 'photography'). It allows photography to be an accessible, universal activity.

More to the point, the variety of views and people and experiences one can be exposed to in London in a day, a week, is one of the best things about it.

- J