UNICA - UK successes

[Dave Watterson]

Greetings all. Jan and I are just back from the UNICA 2005 Festival in Blankenberge,
Belgium. Frankly we are knackered!

I was on the jury this year which meant being there before 9am every day
and usually getting back to out hotel after midnight - spending most of the
time concentrating hard on the screen! Forget your concerns about how judges
view films after a weekend ... imagine trying to assess 120 or so films fairly
in a week.

The UK programme (see main website for details) was well received by the
400-strong audience. The jury finally awarded two of the much-prized UNICA
Bronze medals to 'Unlocking Young Minds' and '225'. There was also a special
prize for '225' recognising its achievements in special effects and animation.

Since movies are entered not by their makers but by national federations,
great interest is shown in the award for the most interesting national programme.
Only two were nominated by the jury for consideration: Germany and the UK.
Everyone was very impressed by the enthusiasm with which we applauded when
Germany was voted the winner.

As Reg Lancaster said "In a way the awards are irrelevant. What matters is
seeing and hearing a huge audience enjoy the movies in your programme." And
they certainly did enjoy ours.

UNICA uses a simple introduction to indicate which country's programme is
coming up. It changes from year to year. This time it drew inspiration from
Belgium's most famous statue: Mannikin Pis. In cartoon form the little boy
from that statue turned up at Blankenberge, peered round with a wicked gleam
in his eyes. Ignoring the signs forbidding urination on the beach ... he
wrote the name of the country concerned on the sand in pee. Thereafter a
few countries ran their own introductory movie as well.

When the UK programme was due, the cartoon started then Reg Lancaster, Gerald
Mee and Brian Dunckley came on stage in front of the screen with a bucket,
turned their backs on the spectators and pretended to pee in it. The audience
roared with laughter. Brian then picked up the bucket and edged towards
the audience, carrying the bucket and with an evil glint in his eye. Then
he threw its contents at the front rows ... paper roses. More laughter.


Then came our trailer ... a quiet harbour ... pan down to a duck on the water
... after a moment the duck rises and we see it is strapped to the head of
a scuba diver. The diver emerges and peels off his black wet-suit to reveal
an impeccable white dinner jacket and bow tie. Our James Bond character then
moves up the beach, enters the casino and starts to play a fruit machine.
Wheels spin, national flags whiz by and on the third try Union Jacks come
up to win the jackpot ... a pile of UNICA medals. Audience hysterics and
long applause followed. Thanks to all that our movies had a great send-off.

At the end of the award ceremony several days later the President of UNICA
announced that following a minor change in the organisation's name, which
had been agreed at the AGM on Wednesday, the Korean delegation had commissioned
a new medal with the new name. It had been made and flown to Belgium just
in time for the closing banquet ... then he awarded the brand new medal to
Brian Dunckley as creator and star of the UK trailer !!! That's the second
time UK has been given a medal for the introductory trailer ... which is
not even officially in the competition.

There's lots of other news to give you when I have caught up with some sleep
but I cannot end without reporting that the USA was warnly welcomed back
into UNICA thanks to a joint application by Ned Cordery of AMPS and Mike
Levy of AMMA. Their film programme did not pick up any medals but was seen
and enjoyed by a large audience. The jury commented favourably on all their
movies.

Tot-siens


Dave

[Willy Van der Linden]

"Dave Watterson" <forums@theiac.org.uk> wrote:

As Reg Lancaster said "In a way the awards are irrelevant. What matters
is
seeing and hearing a huge audience enjoy the movies in your programme."
And
they certainly did enjoy ours..."

"When the UK programme was due, the cartoon started then Reg Lancaster,
Gerald
Mee and Brian Dunckley came on stage in front of the screen with a bucket,
turned their backs on the spectators and pretended to pee in it. The audience
roared with laughter..."

Yes, Reg is right. The awards are irrelevant. I found the British programme
fantastic and I am not saying this because I am an anglophyle. Also many
of my Flemish friends who were among the audience said the same. It was a
variety of films. They were all short, but very funny or powerful. The Mendoza
film for instance was full of emotion and so was the Rouillards film. It
was the first time I saw the film about the young boy sitting in a train
watching the science fiction airoplane flying into the spire of a church...
etc... (I missed BIAFF this year. )Fantastic ! We need such films to attract
new young film makers. And then the film about the computer. It was excellent
because of its originality. But I laughed most with the comedy about the
man who found a banknote of 50 pounds sticking on the tyre of a car in front
of a tea shop. It was a film with three unexpected funny ends. The atmosphere
of the UNICA Festival was quite different from our own Belgian regional and
national festivals. That was strange. Someone had lost a string and a lady
showed it asking the audience who had lost it. Of course she was not wearing
it herself. But the act was unbelievable. UNICA was very funny and relaxing.
To be honest ... I was not in Blankenberghe every day ... but I enjoyed those
three days very much. I remember that the British programme was preceded
by some Liechtenstein and Finnish documentaries. The Liechtenstein one about
the oranges was not boring at all. A small country with an excellent film.
I also enjoyed the photography in a Finnish film. But now I will stop writing
about other films. I am anxious to know what Dave Watterson thinks about
the other UNICA events in Blankenberghe. He has the honour to tell us first.
I saw him only once on the stage giving his impressions about the films he
had seen. I remember that he used an English idiom and that the translator
had problems with it. I found it very pleasant to see my British friends
again. Someone told me that the British contingent consisted of 40 members
! They looked like a very strong team. Brittannia ruled the waves at the
Belgian seaside in Blankenberghe ! (Sorry, I'm teasing)
My congratulations to all the British participants !

Tot-siens

"Tot-siens" is wrong, Dave ! It is "Tot ziens !" But I appreciate that you
are making an attempt at using a Dutch or Flemish expression. Please, do
not take revenge. Do not correct all the mistakes I have written in this
message.

Dave

[Dave Watterson]

Willy Van der Linden wrote

The atmosphere of the UNICA Festival was quite different from our own
Belgian regional and national festivals. That was strange. Someone
had lost a string and a lady showed it asking the audience who had lost
it.
It was a g-string (thong) - a joke about the different types of property

which had been reported lost during the event - from umbrellas to a waistcoat.
I thought this sort of good-humoured, slightly risque style was very Belgian.
The promotional film for UNICA 2005 showed Jef Van Gompel going into the
casino building carrying a film can, slipping into the gambling halls and
losing everything but his underpants and the film which he resolutely insisted
on taking to the UNICA festival. At the very end of the week, after the presentations
and votes of thanks, Jef appeared on stage in his underpants again and carried
off the can of film to huge applause.

I saw him only once on the stage giving his impressions about the films
he
had seen. I remember that he used an English idiom and that the translator
had problems with it.

There had been a fairly poor movie about the life cycle of the lamprey and
I, of course, referred to one of the English kings (Henry 1) having been
said to die of a "surfeit of lampreys". That caused some translation hiccups.
Occasionally I did play jokes on the translation team - and they on me -
but that one was unintentional!

There were lots of special moments in this UNICA besides the great range
of films. I'm still a bit punch-drunk having been running on adrenalin for
a week but random memories ...

Having a brief guided tour of Blankenberge's fascinating architectural gems
by Dominic, one of the translators, while Nina Zaitsev from Russia and Afifa
Rouillard from Guernsey were holding my hands and Jan was quietly amused.

Hearing a moving, joyous performance from a string quartet in Brugge's magnificent
new concert hall with a perfect acoustic.

Eating far too many chocolates which were offered by various cine-club regions
of the Flemish area as samples of their local produce.

Looking up to the Polish jury member - the handsome and charming actor, Pavel
Leski who is several inches taller than me.

Sipping Slovakian Borovicka on a coach and stumbling down the steps. Having
an enormous glass of Korean vodka given to me at a reception by the president
of the Korean film makers federation. It was lovely but I could only take
a single sip if I were to stay awake for the rest of the day's judging.

The taking of the UK delegates' group picture which seemed to involve endless
time and trouble.

But above all a very serious moment. We had an excursion to Ypres, visited
the amazing "In Flanders Field" experience which brings home the scale of
the slaughter in that pleasant land. Even now every Spring and Autumn's ploughing
unearths more human remains. In the evening we went to the Menin Gate, a
huge arch across a main route into the city. It bears the names of soldiers
known to have died but whose remains have never been found. Every evening
at 8pm the road is closed and buglers play the Last Post in tribute to those
who gave their lives in two world wars.

Minutes before the ceremony began a UNICA organiser dragged me out of the
crowd and asked me to read the tribute. It was an incredible honour which
was absolutely terrifying.

The bugles played and I walked to stand beneath the centre of the arch. There
I recited a verse from Laurence Binyon's poem 'For the Fallen':

" They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. "

And I stood with head bowed for a minute of silence - intensely aware of
the 50,00 names carved on the arch around us and that in UNICA terms most
of those people were "jeunesse" - under 25 years of age. Then I stood aside
and the UNICA president, Max Haensli, laid a wreath on the memorial. I don't
think I was visibly shaking but I was in a state of shock.

Afterwards Jan told me that beside her was an Australian veteran in uniform
and medals which made me ashamed that I had spoken the words and not him.
Many of our German friends asked me to write down the words for them which
moved me too. Even the good company, fine meal and wine that followed did
not stop me trembling inside and I was close to tears well into the next
day.


-Dave

[Willy Van der Linden]

"Dave Watterson" <david.filmsocs@virgin.net> wrote:

I thought this sort of good-humoured, slightly risque style was very Belgian.
The promotional film for UNICA 2005 showed Jef Van Gompel going into the

Dave wrote :
"Jef appeared on stage in his underpants again and carried

off the can of film to huge applause..."

Jef Van Gompel was in my club some months ago. Then it was the first time
that I talked to him. I had invited him because he had already been very
successful at UNICA. Now he has won the gold UNICA-medal for his one minute
film. On Friday I was in Blankenberghe, but I did not attend the competition
in the evening. Jef is always a serious looking man and I was surprised that
he looked so cheerful at UNICA. I was pleased when I heard the results of
the one minute film competition. I had already seen Jef's movie at Facineb,
the national competition. It was the best one and I was also pleased with
his victory because I am sure that Jef has worked so hard to organize UNICA
together with other friends though it has nothing to do with the good quality
of his film.

Dave Watterson wrote : "We had an excursion to Ypres, visited
the amazing "In Flanders Field" experience which brings home the scale of
the slaughter in that pleasant land. Even now every Spring and Autumn's
ploughing
unearths more human remains."

-
Some weeks ago I already told some British friends that I intend to make

a film about "Flanders Fields". My third name is Francis. My father, who
was a soldier in the Second World War and who was buried in a military cemetry,
was called Francis. And my grandfather's brother was called Francis Van der
Linden. He died as a young soldier in the First World War and he was buried
in Flanders Fields, perhaps one of the numerous cemeteries you have seen.
So my father was named after him and I got my third name thanks to him.
I think it is a good starting point for one of my new documentaries. Yes,
indeed Dave, how many young men gave their lives for our freedom in WOI?
How many British soldiers died in that corner of our country ? Not far from
Ypres there is also a German cemetry. The graves are different from all the
other ones. They are like flat 'pantiles'. The cemetry is "dominated" by
the sculpture of grieving parents. It was made by Grete Kolwitz, the mother
of one of these young German soldiers. When I am on holiday at the Belgian
seaside I sometimes visit the cemetries of Tyne Cot, Westvleteren, de Panne,
... but also the German one. One more thing about "Flanders Fields where
poppies grow, row in row ..." (Wasn't the author a John Mc Cray ?). In the
museum you could buy a book with poems written by the British War Poets...
and there are also very emotional songs about soldiers who died in our country.
I remember an Irish one. The poems and songs are all "ingredients" to make
my new film. But now I am already thinking about this one, and I still have
to edit my film for Bedford and the one for 2007... !

[Willy Van der Linden]

It was the first time that I attented UNICA and I have positive feelings.
In "my" European school it was a bit like that. There were more than 50 different
nationalities. French was spoken, but also English, German, Italian, Dutch
etc... Most Flemish people are polyglots. They speak different languages,
at least Dutch, French, English and German.

Sometimes I had problems with the subtitles. There were films with subtitles
in two different languages : French and English. The actors spoke German
I remember. Then I didn't know what to do ... Did I have to concentrate on
the French or on the English subtitles ? At the same time I listened to
the German sentences. The Dutch and Flemish can understand German very well.
Our languages have the same roots. But of course it is very positive that
a film maker shows his UNICA-film with subtitles. I was surprised that the
South Korean film makers did not use any French, English or German subtitles.
They used subtitles but perhaps they were Chinese. I could not understand
the exotic written characters. We must not forget that millions and millions
of people in our world speak Chinese. The first day I attended the discussion
after the films with Dave Watterson, our Belgian judge (French speaking one)
and the German speaking one. The Belgian judge did not want to give his opinion
about a film because it was not provided with subtitles. Apparently he had
not understood the film.

The tempo in the Korean films was also very slow, too slow. I must say I
enjoyed one particular South Korean film. A man is sitting in a train. A
young pretty lady is sitting next to him. She falls asleep and she puts her
head on his shoulders ... The atmosphere in the film was allright... but
it lasted "a bit" too long. Perhaps the film maker had done it on purpose
...

The South Koreans also showed some pictures of their festivity hall where
UNICA 2006 will take place. It looks promising. It looks a bit like a western
world. In my opinion there were better places to organize UNICA in Belgium,
but criticizing is always very easy. Perhaps the organizers had their reasons
to choose Blankenberge. In September the town is always overcrowded. The
school holidays are over and thousands of retired people spend their holidays
in this seaside resort which is different from the other ones. But also
in the UK the seaside resorts are different. I prefer Bournemouth to ...
for instance or ...

Anyway, some British friends told me that they enjoyed their daytrips, in
particular the one to Bruges. I was born in Antwerp, the city of Peter Paul
Rubens, the most beautiful town in the world, but in Flanders it is also
called the town of "the thick heads" (de dikke nekken). Antwerp people grow
too big for their boots. No, to be honest, Bruges is the most beautifiul
town in Belgium. What do you think, Dave ?

Now something about our Flemish film "Who is Vincent ?". The trio Paul Lacroix,
Paul Amand and Ivo Van der Linden (He is not a relative) received a bronze
medal. Hopefully they are very happy now. Two years ago I had to evaluate
their film in their local competition. Jef Van Gompel was the head judge.
I gave 85 percent I remember. It was the highest score I had ever given,
but I had also some remarks. The acting was rather poor now and then. Afterwards
the film makers shortened their "Who is Vincent ?" and then it was much better.
The story was OK, but I found it a bit treacly. After the screening I also
told our friends that the cottage was not an English one. You don't see such
roofing-tiles in Britain neither such cobbled roads. Oh yes, in Rye (East
Sussex) there are some, but the cobbles are much smaller. But, I must admit
... that was a hair-splitting ! At that time I only wondered what the British
audience would think about it. The most important thing was the story of
the film, the structure of it and the other good qualities.

[Dave Watterson]

"Willy Van der Linden" <vanderlindenhig@telenet.be> wrote:

It was the first time that I attented UNICA and I have positive feelings.
I hope that the many Brits who were there for the first time felt the same

way. I too love the mix of languages, cultures and people - all of them friendly.

Sometimes I had problems with the subtitles. There were films with subtitles
in two different languages : French and English.

There were some strange efforts. The beautiful Czech film SOLOVSKY which
was in BIAFF failed because its poetic commentary was squeezed onto subtitles
- often four lines at a time - obscuring wonderful images and going much
too fast for even a native English speaker to follow. The Perth film maker,
Pat Menmuir, did a great deal of work to help with the subtitles on the UK
films. Her eye was attuned to titles and she spotted some strange ones from
other lands ... a favourite being "I haven't the sliced idea".

The Brits put titles in French and German so we cover all three UNICA official
languages - but I agree, Willy, that if you can understand the dialogue,
subtitles are distracting.

Pity the Koreans - their dvd DID have subtitles, but something to do with
the fact that it was an NTSC dvd meant the technicians could not play the
titles. (That sounds strange to me, but it was what the jury was told.) The
DVD subtitles would have been superimposed electronically at the time of
playing. Their occasional captions in Korean were, of course, "burned into
the film" as we used to say in cine days.

There certainly are problems for judges if they cannot understand a movie.
In such cases I admit it and talk about what I was able to make of the images
and sounds.

As to venues ... in many countries it is too expensive to hold an event like
this in the capital, or even in a major city. Using a seaside resort out
of season is cheaper. It does not matter if the streets are busy ... delegates
spend a lot of their time in the cinema / restaurant / or on outings. UNICA
makes a loss almost every year and requires substantial support from government
or industry in the host country.

Now something about our Flemish film "Who is Vincent ?".

I agree with your general assessment, Willy. Anyone whose first language
is English - or is as fluent as you are - will find the drama paced a little
slowly, but it obviously works for other language groups. The story is sentimental
and the war-torn land is suspiciously clean, bright and tidy. In UK terms
it is "ITV 1 Sunday drama" where serious themes may be dealt with but in
a cosy, comfortable and picturesque way. However you regard it the film
is a major production and deserved its award.

I hesitate to name my favourite films of the week ... maybe others who were
there would like to start that ball rolling ... come on our UK delegates
and international readers ...


Dave