IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

Here’s an interview with John from 2019 that Alistair Biggar passed onto me. https://www.biaff.org.uk/2019-john-astin.html?fbclid=IwAR3ThKOa3QqASsg3dRjfNHFa5Tug5X8x6lAb_7JiaC6W7lKndUwrcIJtsNc John was rushed into hospital for an emergency operation just over 2 weeks ago and then transferred to anoth...

John Astin was for several years a first round judge at BIAFF. He was also a great documentary filmmaker and I remember very much enjoying his films particularly the ones about steam railways. He was a lovely man and great company. I last spoke to him on the phone about a month ago and he seemed in ...

Further to my last message, having delved into this subject further, the impression I get is that there’s a whole industry out there of people trawling the internet looking for “copyright infringements” so that they can demand large fines. Many people either pay up out of fear of further action, or ...

There’s a forum where people are discussing very similar cases of alleged attempted ‘extortion’ by PicRights. https://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/uk-getty-images-letter-forum/extortion-letter-from-picrights-uk/ There doesn’t appear to be a single case where further legal action has been taken ...

People’s sense of humour differs wildly. That’s why comedy is one of the most difficult genres in which to succeed, in my opinion. The judges’ comments for my 4 star film BLOODY BRILLIANT gave no indication at all that the judges realised that it was a comedy. Not one mention that anyone thought any...

Yes it’s perfectly true what Tim says. The main thing is that we still have BIAFF 2021, something we can be thankful for.

It’s so very disappointing not to be able to have BIAFF as a live event for the second year running. Since 2008, the BIAFF weekend has been the most important event on my calendar. Let’s hope that this will be the last time it will have to be on Zoom. One IAC member has told me he’s heard that the n...

Ned, re: the link in Paula Webster’s article: it worked for me. Here’s a more direct link to the film in question:
https://vimeo.com/364824491

I have been fortunate to work with many talented actors over the years and one of the most talented was Simon Hawkins. In my article in the magazine there’s a small picture of Simon with Ruth Cattell in my film CONRAD. A really great guy and a terrific actor. I received the devastating news this aft...

I’m glad you enjoyed my article Ned, thanks. It was originally commissioned for the CEMRIAC magazine, when I was asked to report on my filmmaking activities during 2020. I felt honoured when it was passed on for publication in FVM as part of the series ‘A Life In Film’. You probably haven’t missed a...

I have to agree with Ken’s comments 100%. That letter was totally out of order and thoroughly reprehensible. It shows amazing disrespect to a fellow film-maker. I enjoyed Willy’s series on the making of ‘Hop Around The Weald” and I imagine he’s now feeling hopping mad about the letter. Yes, an apolo...

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’ve just entered my latest film ‘Sean’.

If it turns out not to be possible to go ahead in Birmingham on the scheduled dates, I personally would opt for postponing BIAFF 2021 until it can take place as a live event later in the year. My prediction is that mass vaccination will return life to something approaching normality sometime within ...

I’m hugely disappointed that the traditional BIAFF can’t go ahead this year. It’s been the highlight of my year every year since 2008. I’ll be there for the online event of course but I just desperately hope that it’s just a one-off and that BIAFF 2021 will back to normal. I’m hoping that the Saturd...

I've kept quiet about 'Competition Culture' until now but, for what it's worth, despite the inevitable flaws in a competition system, I like competitions. I always have, going right back to the Movie Maker Magazine 'Ten Best' competition which I entered many times during the 1970s and 1980s. Competi...