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IN AUGUST I SAW AN ANGEL - PART 2

Musical themes emerge. Bjork's distinctive voice turns up several times as does Ennio Morricone's work for Once Upon A Time in the West. There was only one film with Slipknot on the soundtrack, but recognising their music made me cool for a couple of young Dutch moviemakers. Movies from Latvia (Raftsmen) and South Korea (Raft Arirang) both dealt with river rafting. Not the rubber dinghy / white water thrills kind, but assembling felled trees and creating slow moving behemoths which float downstream bearing people, provisions, tents and even a cooking fire. Both were partly ceremonial occasions but brought to cinematic life by the study of the determined people who build the rafts (and sail them?) and a willingness to risk expensive electronic kit on unpredictable river waters.

Several of the "jeunesse" (young people) provide superb, fascinating work. One such work came from Olga Spatova (right) and the star of her movie Alone. The piece dealt with the emotions of a young woman whose dreams of romance are shattered. One Last Time by Stephan Muggli of Switzerland was a beautifully observed study of a would-be actress determined to pass an audition for drama school after four previous failures.

At the other extreme is work from Georgia - mainly from a children's film workshop. They are not really the stuff of international festivals but during a whole week of film there is time for such indulgences. One has toy cowboys and dinosaurs fighting in the crudest hand-held style but its proud seven year old author is there and greeted warmly. Another illustrates a traditional song about a milkmaid and dragoon. The young actors give their all with such enthusiasm they make us smile with them. Animation was well represented among the medal winners.

Why Dragons Are Extinct

Magic Times

A French cartoon Why Dragons Are Extinct (Above left) explains why dragons became extinct, making us laugh and cry at once. Magic Times (Above middle) by Horst Orlich was a charcoal animation piece. The public jury discussion was available in English, French and German. The Argentinean lads (Above right) huddled with the lady translated into whispered Spanish.

The full list of medal winners can be seen on the UNICA website. For Britain JOSEPH'S FAITH by Frank Hodges won a Silver and DROPPING OFF by Ken Wilson won a Bronze. During the business meeting one item brought delegates to their feet. It was standing applause for Ari de Jong (right) who retired as UNICA General Secretary. He will continue to be their webmaster.

The best film? For me it was three minutes long and called Just The Same - But Different. Bare feet. Toes curl, testing the grass beneath them. The camera tracks along as the feet start walking. The viewpoint rises past a flowing, pale dress until we see the feet belong to a young woman walking
through parkland. White wisps of vegetation, like dandelions, float past her. Now tracking backwards the camera shows her face on. She is self-possessed, calm, interested and unhurried. The angle changes again and over her shoulder we see the wispy fluff has coalesced into a pair of white wings.

The film was not in competition, it was a product of the young people's workshop running in parallel to the festival. We met the angel at the final dinner and joined her and her friends in singing a Dutch drinking song together.

That's UNICA.

Read Part 1 of This Report.
For Full Results of UNICA 2003 - Click here.
Reg Lancaster in Action.
Official UK Entries.

- Dave Watterson    Sep 2003

Page updated on 14 February 2008

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

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