This year 222 films and tapes  from UK, Australia, Norway, Italy, Israel, Slovakia, Spain, Germany, USA, Belgium - about 50 hours viewing - reached the Competition Officer's door by the deadline. Judges gathered every weekend in February to assess each movie and select the top award winners.

Faces at Festival (1): Centre: The Daily Mail Trophy.  Clockwise from top left: Valrie Ellis (IAC Chairman), Peter Rouillard (Guernsey) chats to Reg Lancaster (SERIAC) about the Guernsey Lily Festival,  Janet Smith (IAC's Administrative Secretary), the Dainter family with moviemaker Jason in the foreground, Brian Saberton and George Juner (Scotland) and Atta Chui (Cambridge).

F rom the Geoffrey Round Trophy A-V presentations  (won by Not I Surely from Jean and Reg Royle) on Friday night to the screening of Daily Mail Trophy winner El Cordobes by Sven Taddicken on Sunday afternoon the festival was a whirl of friendly faces and screenings in three mini-cinemas almost non-stop.

Faces at Festival (2): Centre: The  Palace Hotel, Buxton.  Clockwise from top left: Betty Jennings (CEMRIAC), Dorothy and Bill Every (Bill received an IAC Fellowship), Richard Curry (MC), Darren Lalonde (former IAC Youth Officer), Gladys Dene and Afifa Rouillard.

The top awards went to:

El Cordobes by Sven Taddicken (Germany): The Daily Mail Challenge Trophy for the Best Amateur Movie of the Year, an IAC International Medallion, £250 voucher donated by Jessops, IAC Youth Trophy for the Best Youth Entry and Best Entry from Overseas.

A boy nicknamed El Cordobes (the name of a famous bullfighter) practices elements of corrida with his father on the roof of a high-rise apartment block. The father, who is a sailor brings the boy up on his own. He does not allow the boy to watch television. The boy falls in love with a neighbour. Maria spends lot of time watching television and working on a system which would allow her to win the lottery. When her TV set breaks down during a draw she continues watching the programme in El Cordobes' flat. The father is fascinated by Maria but the boy does not accept this. During another "bullfight" the man loses an ear. Maria wins the jackpot and leaves. The father and son give up corrida and decide to play music. The boy takes a new pseudonym - Guaraldi (the name of a famous mouth organ player).

1998, 15 mins, 35mm, colour, directed and edited by: Sven Taddicken.  Script by: Sven Taddicken, Daniela Knapp, Frank Weiß.  Camera: Daniela Knapp. Sound: Alain Gsponer.  Lighting: Ralf Hauschildt. Featuring: Daniel Gerharz, Regina Lebherz, Matthias Spehr. Produced by Baden-Württemberg Film School.

Sven Taddicken

Born in Hamburg in 1974.  He has lived in Berlin since 1995 where he studied music and social sciences. From 1996 he has been studying film directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. He was nominated for a student OSCAR by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his movie Schäfchen Zählen (Counting Sheep). The UNICA programme described that film as: "The confusing ups and downs of sexual relations. This evening a slice of life is repeated. Both the departure and the effects of anaesthesia should be long enough delayed. A poetic grotesquerie about erotic longing, fateful children's toys and the punctuality of the German Railways".

Steins Abschied by Otto Horn (Germany): IAC Trophy for Best Story and the Le Hedan Trophy for the Best Acting Performance to Klaus Ziemann.

This Glorious Life by Bjorn Engstrom (Sweden): Wallace Heaton Cup for Best Photography (sponsored by Fuji Photofilm UK).

Olympic Museum by Richard Lewendon (UK): Bernard Ashby Trophy for Best Editing.

Bailey's Bath by Huddersfield Video & Cine Club (UK): Horace A. Rowe Trophy for Best Documentary.

Pianissimo by Mino Croce & Guido Wilhelm (Italy): IAC Trophy for Creative Use of Sound (sponsored by Trackline Music Services).

Der Reigen by Klaus Werner (Germany): Mini-Cinema Cup for Best Animation.

Glamour Man: Looking for ... Love by Philip Beasley (UK): Peter Wilberforce Smith Tankard for Humour.

Hands Off by Jason Dainter (UK): IAC Junior Trophy for Best Youth Entry (sponsored by The Widescreen Centre).

Shotdown by Anja Langenbacher (Germany) and Life Goes On by Channel 7 Productions (UK) both won Judges Special Awards, the first for concept & imagination, the second for best young actor - Gregg Chilingirian.

Betty & Sam by Peter Dunphy and Daniel Glynn won the Alan Cartwright Cup for Best British Open movie and the Best Open movie category.

Page updated on 18 May 2009

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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