The entries are now in for the UNICA Congress and Festival, which will be held in Poznan, Poland on 18th - 23rd August.
As yet I don't know if all 28 countries in UNICA have sent films, but most will have picked 40 minutes worth of the best from their country, which they think will please / amuse / teach / delight / scare or even puzzle an international audience.
Our British programme is:
Forgotten
In the Land of Submarines
Hollywood Nights
There is also an audience judged contest for one-minute movies. Our entries are:
Jan and I have just ordered and paid for our UNICA 2024 Congress Cards (tickets) plus an excursion to the city of Gniezno. (UNICA excursions are usually to places with interesting architecture and video/photo possibilities ... but 90% of the fun is with the people coming with us.
There is still time for you to join the fun by checking out https://unica.movie/2024. It runs 18th to 23rd August.
We think of it as a holiday with films ... we travel to a different country each year to explore and can see some of the world's top amateur films as well. Travel to Poznan in Poland is easy from UK, because Ryanair flies from most UK airports ... and so do other airlines, though usually through European hubs like Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris.
My Belgian clubmate Werner Haegeman will attend UNICA together with his wife An. His movie "Elise by the Sea" has been selected. It got 3 stars at BIAFF, but was one of the 5 winning films at the National Festival in Belgium.
I have good memories of UNICA in Blankenberghe (Belgium), Zeist (The Netherlands) and Dortmund (Germany).
STONE at BIAFF, SILVER at UNICA
Yesterday my friend Werner Haegeman said that his movie "Elise by the Sea", 3 stars at BIAFF, changed into silver at UNICA in Poland. I am very happy for him. Is there anyone else who deserves it more than Werner? In "Elise" Werner shows his sense of creativity. He has a unique style and he dares... Also his soundtrack is always perfect. "Elise" is pure entertainment. And so is"Milky Way". Also 3 stars at BIAFF. And knowing that its cinematography is sublime.
Werner and I work together from time to time, but I have not contributed to his magnificent film. Instead of going to Poland I stayed at my favourite "tropical" seaside resort called Newport. The weather was fantastic. On our golden sandy beaches it was difficult to avoid the thousands of Elises lying in the sun with a skin that had already been burnt. All the time my thoughts were with Werrner, his wife Ann and their Elise. The high pressure area had come from the Archipelo of Guernsey I think and on my laptop I saw a picture of our good friend John Gibbs who had just passed away. It was sent to us by Howard Smith on facebook. I remember John and his wife sitting on a bench in one of the golden bays of Guernsey enjoying the Atlantic Ocean. That was a long time ago. Attending BIAFF also meant meeting John each time.
Next year UNICA will take place in Birmingham Dave Watterson has told me.
It was a great pleasure to meet Werner and An and to have time for a quick chat in the super cafe at the Cultural Centre in Poznan last week.
We were also stewing in hot moist air with temperatures in the mid 30s. No ladies buried in sand, but lots of stylish people of both sexes (all sexes?) enjoying that special city.
And yes, we are bringing the UNiCA event to Birmingham 17th to 22nd August in 2025. That was our friends from other countries can enjoy the styles of people in Broad Street moving from night-club to night-club!
Sadly the man who did so much to persuade the IAC to make it happen was John Gibbs, who did not live to see it happen.
