Written from the back row.

Belleville en Vues is an independent editorial site about the craft of going to film festivals — how a programme is built and what the scheduling is telling you, why the second screening is a different film, what a Q&A is worth, and what to do with the three days you have rather than the ten you would need.

It is not a festival, a cinema, a distributor or a ticketing service. There is no programme here, no dates, no venues, and no reviews with scores. Real festivals, films and formats are named factually where they help; the subject is the going, not the industry.

The name is a Paris habit that stuck — en vues plays on views and screenings. Everything on the site is written in English, from the back rows of many festivals, by people who queue on their own time.

The supporters on our foyer noticeboard keep the lamp on. If you want a word on that board, see Contact.