#WeAreQFT Joan Parsons
07 April 2020
Today we've got a treat for #WeAreQFT, Head of QFT Joan Parsons is in the hot seat, picking her lockdown films and telling us which terrible film provoked her love of karaoke.
You are stuck at home and your favourite cinema is closed. What five films do you watch?
Penny Serenade directed by George Stevens (1941)
American Honey directed by Andrea Arnold (2016)
Caramel directed by Nadine Labaki (2007)
Tank Girl directed by Rachel Talalay (1995)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Celine Sciamma (2019)
What three words would you use to describe QFT?
Essential, Welcoming, Cultural.
What is your earliest cinema-going memory?
Watching Bambi (1942) at the kids club screening in the cinema down the road, an art-deco single screen shabby movie palace.
What film do you dislike that everyone else loves?
The Tree of Life (2011) – sorry, it’s just not my bag.
What is your guilty pleasure film?
Duets (2000). A truly terrible film that I absolutely adore. Saw it on a random cinema visit with my mum and we both laughed and cried. It is wholly responsible for igniting my love of karaoke!
What is your favourite film soundtrack?
I’m a big fan of soundtracks and often listen to them to accompany work or reading. At the moment my most-listened favourite is Nicholas Britell’s beautiful score for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).
What film character would you love to meet and why?
Can I have the whole cast of Cry-Baby (1990)? I want to be in their gang.
What is the best thing about going to the cinema?
I can lose myself in the cinema, the dark room is devoted to films and I love that. I really like hearing audiences react to films and the whole ritual of escapism that has existed for so long and keeps people coming back.
Do you have a special place in the cinema where you always sit?
Depends on the cinema but usually somewhere central.
Who is your favourite film villain?
Alan Rickman – Die Hard (1988) or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). It is safe to say that Alan Rickman was one of the absolute greatest and much missed actors.
What film do you think justifies a remake?
I’d like to see an up to date re-imaging of Jules et Jim (1962), should work as love triangle stories are still popular and this is the greatest.
What is your favourite movie quote?
“You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender” – Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’z iconic On the Waterfront (1954).
Who would play you in a film of your life?
This is a tough one, I’d like to see Scarlett Johansson try it, she’d do a great Essex accent I’m sure.
