#wiffa

[weardown-rocksalt]

This is an illustration of a sizable contemporary front porch.

Seitai Kuan

[ruukachoo]

Ru Loves WIFFA (2025 Edition)

YESSSSS the WIFFA 2025 films are out! I've been keeping an eye for when they went up on the website and this time I'm not TOO horribly off!

I continue to love this festival so much. It continues to be a delightful celebration of ingenuity, creativity, heart, and Antarctica (and occasionally, penguins).

(For those who came in late, my love letter to WIFFA).

This year the five elements for the 48 hr challenge were (action) making espresso, (character) "The 2025 Meme", (object) a bottle, (quote) the line "It's just a flesh wound!", and (sound) applause. A good number of the films featured coffee as a central theme/plot, which had the unfortunate side effect of making me want coffee, but that's just what happens when you watch WIFFA!

Here are a few of my personal favorites with their own special awards:

Best Social Commentary Award: Casey: AI (Casey Station, Australia) - Aside from learning the OBVIOUS thing that a lot of milk in Antarctica comes from a powder (which explains the presence of whisking white liquid in other previous films, which preplexed me a little at times), I can't help but appreciate the reiteration of something a lot of us already know: LLMs Are Not A Good Idea. EFFICIENCY!

Best Environmental Storytelling: Grounds for Concern (McMurdo Station, USA) - I love a good puzzle, and the revelation at the end that it was based on actual events was the cherry on top. I love how a lot of these films have some level of history in them, relating events that happened on station or making commentary about something that happened, or some other little nugget of knowledge.

The I'd Watch This Award: The Game (Henryk Arctowski Station, Poland) - I feel like this should also win Best Visuals for just how lovely some of the shots are. They've got some nice scenery around them. Excellent tension build up, some funny images, and a compelling plot. I'd watch the full movie! (Also, as an aside, another trend I've noticed pops up a lot in these films is Going Outside With Minimal Clothing. Seems to pop up in at least one film every year).

The They Look Like They Had Fun Award: The Reality of Icy Influencers (SANAE IV Station, South Africa) - OMG. The actress playing Gigi should really have won best acting. She was all in. But seriously, it felt like everyone was having fun in this one, and it's delightfully silly to boot. Icetagram indeed!

The WELP I'M CHARMED Award: How to Chai (Bharati Station, India) - Always appreciate a film that teaches as well as entertains! I love the light silliness of this, and it has a sense of humor that I particularly enjoy (even if I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is). Everything in it is delightful: the dig at coffee (no shade on coffee, I adore it, but I would totally choose the chai in this instance too), the deadpan unwrapping of gauze, and the dig on "fresh" ginger. I only wish there were some measurements to go along with it so I too could make my own Antarctic chai. Ah well, that's what the internet is for! Also, excellent use of Wilhelm!

The HOW DID COFFEE DO YOU WRONG Award: Rolling Bottle (Alfred Faure Station, France) - WOW, I don't know what happened to that bottle of Picon that it is so out for blood for coffee drinkers, but DAMN. I'd say this is the best horror film this year, relying a lot on cuts to show the Picon stalking its victims a la Weeping Angels. I also love the epilogue and how it brings the film full circle. It's clever and creepy while still bringing a dose of silly. And another excellent use of Wilhelm! (Warning: it does get kinda gory - this bottle is quite murderous)

Best Musical Film: To Be Honest… (Jang Bogo Station, Republic of Korea) - There's usually a couple of musical films each year, usually covering a song or a music video. This was my favorite this year, that's to the effervescent joy that seemed to radiate it. Also some excellent cinematography.

Best Serious Film: Life in the Base (Concordia Station, Italy/France) - Won Best Open, and it deserves it. It's both beautiful and somber, poetic and harsh, and I think it drives home the isolation and hostility of where they're working, and how important everyone on the team is.

Ru's Personal Favorite: Cream Corn (Admunsen-Scott South Pole Station, USA) - I can't…I can't explain WHY I find this so funny. I think part of it's the sheer randomness. Part is the vague flavors of Spamton, with the questionable product/prices and the slightly related non-sequiturs, combined with the sketchy-late-night-TV vibes. Part is that whole "If you repeat something enough times, it becomes funny" thing. Part is the film crew BARELY keeping it together. Part is that I'm CERTAIN there's a story behind this, possibly involving limited supplies and way to much cream corn on the premises. In any case, it's random and silly and it confuses the hell out of me and yet HERE WE ARE AT MY MOST FAVORITE. I don't get it. This would probably fit nicely into an Anime Hell compilation.

[ruukachoo]

Ru Loves WIFFA (2024 Edition)

Well GEE, I think I did this last year too. I realized in late summer "Oh hey! WIFFA's coming up real soon!" and then I get distracted by, I don't know, a neat rock or a cheesecake or something, and forget and suddenly it's like two months later.

BUT HERE WE ARE NOW!

(For those coming in late, my post waxing poetic about WIFFA, my favorite obscure A/V love, is here.)

I've finally watched all the videos and delighted in all of them. They continue to be tiny nuggets of passion, ingenuity, and homemade props in some of the most remote parts of the world. For the 48 hr challenge category, this year the five elements are a warning siren, a can opener, the quote "Not all who wander are lost", a dinosaur, and a game of chess being played.

Here are a few of my personal favorites, receiving their own special awards:

The Sassy-Ass Dinosaur Penguin Award: The Return of the Kumimanu (Troll Station, Norway) - Okay so I had to look it up and apparently a kumimanu is a prehistoric penguin and this increases my love for this one 1000%. "Something is discovered in the ice and wreaks havoc at the station" is a common WIFFA storyline, particularly for horror films. It's lovely to see it subverted here. Also the kumimanu is just a DELIGHT. Such sass. Much pingu.

The Oh Noes The Consequences of My Actions Award: The Last Apple (Alfred Faure Base, Crozet Island, France) - There are so many parts of this I love. How it is steeped in one of the struggles of being so remote and I suspect everyone in Antarctica related to it. The music. The inability for anyone to keep a straight face. The homemade dinosaur costume. How they worked the dinosaur into the story in such a delightfully bananapants but also thought-out way. I grinned the whole way through.

The I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING Award: LIFE (King Sejong Station, Republic of Korea) - Once again King Sejong Station is killing it with emotion. This one won best editing and best use of the 5 elements for the 48 hr category and it deserved both in spades. Sometimes getting all the elements in can be a neat challenge but I feel like in here it's pretty much seamless. It's also really relatable and yes it did make me a little misty eyed shut up.

The Watch it Twice Award: The Days (Henryk Arctowski Station, Poland) - Other common WIFFA themes are "Loneliness can really get to you" and "Someone snaps and kills everyone at the station". This one might include both, it might not. What I love about this is the ambiguity of it all - we don't know if the man did in fact snap and kill everyone, but BOY SOMETHING IS UP. I didn't quite catch all the subtleties the first time and really had to watch it again. You get SO MUCH MORE on the second go-through. The way the bedroom changes. The subtle disappearances. The off-hand comments. The camerawork was also well done, and while it relied on simple tricks (people run away while the camera is pointing in another direction), it's used well here.

The Might-Be-a-Vintage-Doctor-Who-Episode Award: Fantastic Doors (Port-aux-Français Base, Kerguelen Island, France) - My personal favorite from the open category. Kerguelen Island seems to have a very surreal, alien landscape, and the folks at Port-aux-Français Base put it to good use in their films. I swear I half-expected Tom Baker to be running around in the background in some of the shots. Also apparently the music was done by the winterovers for the film, and it works super well. It's a fun, surreal, somewhat creepy adventure, and the ending is PERFECT.

Ru's Personal Favorite: Hard Yakka, Down, Down Under (Casey Station, Australia) - This won in the 48 hr category and oh my god. Their use of the mockumentary format is SPOT ON. All the subtle jokes. All the blink-and-you-miss-it moments. And I flat out lost it with the last interview, to the point that Eien came in to find out what I was cackling so hard about. What an amazing, chaotic, banger of a film.

[swwlogistics]

WIFFA is also advertising our Sunny Worldwide Logistics Let's do it together. Let's go!

WIFFA is also advertising our Sunny Worldwide Logistics Let's do it together. Let's go!

(There is also CIFA, please look forward to it, just returned the review time of the communication tweet of Ms. Tong, director of CIFA Office)

Popular science tips: 1. WIFFA (World International Freight Forwarder Alliance) is a global international freight forwarder alliance, also known as the International Freight Forwarder Federation. It is an industry organization dedicated to providing services to international freight forwarders and logistics enterprises, aiming to promote cooperation and development between international freight forwarders and logistics enterprises.

2. CIFA: China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA), established on September 6, 2000, is the national intermediary organization of the international freight forwarders industry.

If your goods need to be shipped: 1. Door to door service of Malaysia Sea and Air Line; 2. Philippines weekly direct door to door service from Manila/Davao/Cebu/Cagayan;

Although looking for Sunny Worldwide Logistics , Sunny Worldwide Logistics want to run can not run, If We run away? WIFFA CIFA, you don't need face? You can't just be a WIFFA CIFA member. Logistics services Welcome to consult us ------------------------------------------ WIFFA也给咱宏铭达物流打广告呢，嘚瑟~ 一块打广告，走起！

（还有CIFA,敬请期待中，刚还给CIFA办公室主任佟女士沟通推文的审核时间）

小科普： 1.WIFFA（World International Freight Forwarder Alliance）是一个全球性的国际货代联盟，也被称为国际货代联合会。它是一个专门为国际货运代理和物流企业提供服务的行业组织，旨在促进国际货运代理和物流企业之间的合作和发展。

2.CIFA ：中国国际货运代理协会（China International Freight Forwarders Association，简称CIFA）是国际货运代理行业的全国性中介组织，成立于2000年9月6日，其英文缩写为CIFA。

如果你货物需要运输: 1.马来西亚海运及空运专线门到门服务； 2.菲律宾每周直拼马尼拉/达沃/宿务/卡加延的门到门服务；

尽管找宏铭达物流，宏铭达物流想跑路都跑不了， 跑路了？WIFFA,CIFA,不要面子的？又不是随随便便都能成为WIFFA,CIFA会员的。尽管放心过来砸单。 #doortodoordelivery #customclearance #chinatoworldwide #sunnyworldwidelogistics #WIFFA #CIFA #宏铭达物流 #物流服务 #门到门服务 #中国到马来西亚 #中国到菲律宾 #ChinatoMalaysia #ChinatothePhilippines

[ruukachoo]

I've talked a little before about my favorite Obscure and Oddly Specific A/V love, the Winter International Film Festival of Antarctica, or WIFFA. In short, during the winter (which would be the summer here in the northern hemisphere), overwintering teams at the various stations in Antarctica submit films for inclusion in a continent-wide film festival, and include an open category and a 48-hr challenge category (in which teams have to create a 5 minute film in 48 hours, and they have to include a set of five elements, such as a specific object or sound effect).

A couple years ago I discovered there's a festival website now and it utterly delighted me (and still does).

I finally got around to watching the 2023 entries they have up and I wanted to share some of my favorites (with my own personal awards).

For reference, the five elements for films participating in the 48 hr challenge had to have a dumbbell, the sound of quacking, the phrase "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", Mickey Mouse, and a piggyback race.

The Serene and Surreal Award: Au Sud rien de nouveau (Kerguelen Island, France) - I love the mood of this film, dreamy and quiet, but also silly in places. Also some excellent worldbuilding and clever use of props as Kerguelen transforms itself into a galactic waystation. Also also excellent use of the camera to make the canoe fly.

The Definitely Not Serene and Genuinely Creepy Oh Noes Award: Melting Monster (King Sejong Station, Republic of Korea) - Okay wow. Gorgeous cinematography aside I found this one GENUINELY unsettling. I think "Thing Comes Out of the Ice and Terrorizes the Station" is a common horror trope for the festival, but between the climate message and some excellent use of tension, I feel like this one takes it to a whole new level.

Most Silliest Film: More Party for the Booze! (Mawson Station, Australia) - And for a complete change of mood, SECRET PENGUIN BEER. Seriously I think this one got the most laughs out of me and the silent film format was perfect.

Most Dedicated to the Bit: Polewatch (Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, USA) - This one won "Best Costume" and I think that has to be for the SHEER AUDACITY of that many people running around in swimsuits at the South Pole. THAT IS DEDICATION.

Ru's Personal Favorite: Ultra Spy: Antarctic Patrol (Palmer Station, USA) - Also the winner of the 48 hr contest, but I just freakin' love this. A badass team of quirky and fun characters saving the world? If this was a TV show I'd watch the hell out of it.

[thisisacommentary]

Porch Front Yard Huge minimalist front porch idea

[ruukachoo]

Ru Loves WIFFA

Since a little distraction is a welcome thing right now, I thought I’d share one of my more obscure nerd loves.

Back in the days of livejournal I followed the blog of a guy who worked in Antarctica. My general concept of Antarctica before then had been basically “ice, cold, something something ozone layer, oh and also penguins”, but reading his entries about his life at one of the research stations turned it into a living, breathing, vibrant (if remote) place, where people created their own communities and worked together in the name of science.

One year he decided to overwinter (read: stay at the station during the winter, when it’s dark pretty much always, depending on where you are, and also there are no planes going in or out so you’re pretty much stuck) and ended up organizing the annual Antarctic Film Festival (officially the Winter International Film Festival of Antarctica or WIFFA). This is a continent-wide event featuring all the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations that want to participate, where groups can submit five minute films either in the open category, or they can take the 48 hr challenge, wherein they must write, film, and edit a five minute movie in 48 hours, and which must include five elements (e.g. a particular sound effect, like a horn, a certain bit of dialogue, like “Has anyone seen my chicken?”, or a certain type of character, like a scientist or a grumpy mechanic) that are not revealed until the start of the competition. The films are sent to all the stations and are voted on in categories like “best flim” and “best editing”. It’s one of the ways they stave off boredom during the long winter months.

The blogger posted the winners of the festival that year, and I found myself absolutely charmed and also kind of hooked.

These films are a DELIGHT. There are handmade props and creative use of station equipment and yes the acting is not always Oscar-worthy but they are made with so much love and enthusiasm that it’s hard to not smile while watching them. They are tiny little nuggets from one of the most remote parts of the world, where even there, people can be giant dorks and have a lot of fun doing it. I love them so damn much.

Finding these films has always been hit or miss for me, requiring clever googling and searching in little corners of the internet. When I wanted to find the original films I saw so long ago, I had to have Eien do some internet sleuthing to find them archived in some obscure little internet offshoot. More recent ones are a little easier to find, but they still require some hunting. Some are on YouTube, and last year I found a bunch through a reddit thread, but it’s always been piecemeal.

This year I decided to go hunting around September, figuring the ones for this year would be up by then, and my jaw dropped.

THEY MADE A WEBSITE.

They finally made a place to archive these films! I flipped right the hell out. I sent a message to Eien that was mostly a bunch of exclamation points and the link. To his credit he managed to deduce what had me so excited without looking at the link, given that the intersection of links with top-level domain names he doesn’t immediately recognize (.aq) and things I would get really excited about are really small and basically boil down to Antarctica.

It looks like they’re trying to archive as many of the films as they can, and it’s still a little piecemeal for earlier years, but just the fact that there’s a PLACE for them now pleases me right down to my little pink cotton socks (disclaimer: I am not currently wearing little pink cotton socks, but trust me, they would be incredibly pleased).

Watching the 2020 films is incredibly bittersweet. Last I checked, Antarctica was the only place in the world where there were no cases of COVID. In many of the films things look downright normal. It’s hard to imagine there’s anywhere like that anymore. I’ve watched them with a smile on my face and a tight yearning in my chest. But I still enjoyed the hell out of them.

In closing, if you need some distraction, watching films from Antarctica (many being quite goofy) ain’t a bad way to go about it.

A few of my favorites:

Fitness Month (2010, Davis Station, Australia): The one that kinda started it all for me. It’s the reason why when I hear “Chariots of Fire” I don’t think of Olympians running on a beach - I think of a ragtag group of people running across an ice sheet while someone, inexplicably, mops Antarctica. Syowa Onlypic 2020 (2020, Syowa Station, Japan): Syowa Station puts on their own Olympics, and it’s delightful. It features throwing brooms! Rothera Does a Porno (2019, Rothera Station, UK): Will Tumblr like this? Well there’s no imagery! GOING FOR IT ANYWAY NO SHAME HERE. The outtakes are also a delight as the cast tries DESPERATELY to get through the titles with a straight face. Call Me Maybe (2019, Concordia Station, Italy/France): SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL LOVE THOSE SEXY RED PARKAS. The Polar Man (2019, Bharati Station, India): A delightful romp about an ice axe-wielding maniac! Fun for the whole family!