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UNICA Festivals: 1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
 Blankenberge, Belgium,
2005
Dave Watterson was on the UNICA Jury in 2005 -
click here for his
report.
UK Official Entries
Eight Great Movies and an intro
Selecting the movies to represent the British Isles at UNICA 2005 was not
an easy task for the committee: IAC Competition Manager, Brian Dunckley;
IAC Film & Video Library Officer, Kenneth Seeger and (deputising for
the IAC Chairman) Reg Lancaster. After seeking advice from various colleagues,
sorting for what would best suit an international audience and juggling with
the limited time-slot available they came up with a selection whose variety
of style and content went down well.
But before it went on screen came our introduction film (which is not in
competition but sets the mood ...)
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001
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002
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003
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004
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An innocent duck |
is not what it seems. |
Our diver is
Brian Dunckley |
dressed smartly
as a secret agent. |
005
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006
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007
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Spotting the casino |
he plays a slot machine
till the Union Jacks line up |
and he wins UNICA Gold Medals
marked ""UK Programme 2005" |
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225
by Christopher David of York - won a Bronze Medal and a special
prize for its remarkable use of special effects.
Five minutes of amazing computer effects mixed with live action as the boy
played by Roo stares in awe at space-ship fighters racing round the express
train on which he is travelling. |
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UNLOCKING
YOUNG MINDS by Terry & Debbie Mendoza of Essex
- won a Bronze Medal.
It is a touching documentary about the work of the Hope Centre for Cognitive
Learning which helps damaged youngsters to cope with the world. |
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FLAT OUT
is the comedy from Spring Park Cine Video Society which won this
year's North v South contest. Let's just say it involves a lot of people
with an eye on getting a quick £50. It got more laughs than most films
and has been requested for several other festivals as a result.
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PINSTRIPE
by newcomer Angus Allan from Dundee is a cautionary tale about an
unexpected hazard of rail journeys. Its stark visual style and memorable
music make a powerful impression. This was much admired for its "East European"
atmosphere. (No one expressed surprise at what happens in British railways
stations !) |
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ENDINGS
by Peter & Richard Rouillard, of Guernsey is a dark, moody piece of
photography. We share the flashbacks of a young man coming out of a coma
after attempting suicide. Through those we see a tale of marital argument.
People enjoyed the dark mood and stylish photography. The Rouillards and
their wives were popular delegates at the event. |
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WOULD
YOU RATHER SEE THE FIREWORKS? by Barry Lockwood charmed
the festival audience at Chesterfield. Faced with one of those baffling on-screen
tutorials filled with jargon, the animated student chooses to see the pretty
display . with unexpected consequences. This too proved a hit with all film
makers in the audience - especially users of Adobe After Effects. |
In addition to the main programme we have two entries in the special one-minute
movie competition. A pre-selection jury narrows the entries to 16. One evening
these are drawn in pairs and each pair shown. The audience votes which of
the pair should go forward to the next round.In the second round the 8 remaining
films are paired, shown and voted on. And so on.
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SMITH,
GARY is another piece of fast-paced, computer-manipulated video
by Barry Lockwood. The often-conflicting characteristics of Gary
Smith are flashed on screen as words and images to a thumping soundtrack.
Liked by younger members of the audience this was screened but was not
short-listed to take part in the competition. Its flashed titles suffered
perhaps from "too much English, too fast" |
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THE
VISIT directed and edited by John Guile of South Downs
Video & Film Makers is the tale of a mother-in-law who assumes she can
arrived unannounced and stay while the decorators are in. This did reasonably
well in competition though it took a moment for the joke to sink in when
people were translating into their own tongues. |
The festival jury of seven people included our own Dave Watterson working
alongside colleagues from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Poland and Switzerland.
In full view of the audience they watched all the entries then took turns
speaking about the movies just seen. On the Friday night they debated the
merits of all the 123 movies and chose a short-list for public discussion.
On the last day they discussed those films and voted for which should receive
medals.
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The final official event of UNICA 2005 was the presentation
of a special medal, minted in Korea mid-week, flown to Belgium and presented
after the other awards by UNICA President, Max Hänsli, to the UK Intro
film and proudly accepted by the star ... Brian Dunckley. |
Dave Watterson was on the UNICA Jury in 2005
- click here for his
report.
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