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More stringers

Today a journalist in London applied to be a stringer (correspondent) for the "trade paper" I edit [a "trade" is for people who make movies, not those who watch them]. He wants to cover The Times/bfi 48th London Film Festival. My publication, although small, is well-respected: festivals usually give its stringers Press credentials.

The Bombay stringer is working out fine, readers appreciate his rather breathless reports on Bollywood. I had no idea that readers (mostly North Americans and Europeans) would be interested in the subject; so I am a little surprised that his work has attracted favorable notice.

Last Spring a man applied to cover the Copenhagen International Film Festival. I didn't hear a word from him for four months. I thought he had flaked out. Then, last month he contacted me. I arranged for a Press pass for him. He has been churning out reports and reviews -- about one a day, which is considerable.

This year I have recruited stringers to cover festivals in Birmingham, England; Boston; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Copenhagen; Los Angeles; London; New York; Seattle; and Singapore. So far, so good!

I would like to have more stringers: someone to cover Nollywood (movie-making in Nigeria); someone to cover the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival; someone to cover movie making in China; in Afghanistan (yes, there is activity in Afghanistan); in Turkey; in Pakistan; in Bangladesh; in Arabic-speaking countries. I would also like to have someone to report from Cannes,or better, La quinzaine des réalizateurs (Directors Fortnight) which takes place near Cannes at the same time as the Festival.

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