Memories of Brian Dunckley
Posted: Fri May 08, 2026 1:58 pm
I heard yesterday that Brian Dunckley passed away.
As Linda Gough put it: "He just gave up living and gently died in his sleep. There was no service or Wake for him. These were his instructions."
But many of us will remember him for his very long service to the IAC and the amateur film movement.
He was a fine and thoughtful film maker. He had a strong sense of humour. He had a twinkling personality. He played a large part in film competitions and for years managed the BIAFF competition judging.
Among his films were Wall of Tears - about which he wrote: "Afte the last conflict in Croatia, someone wrote the name of a missing relative on a brick and placed it on a main thoroughfare in the capital city of Zagreb. The idea caught on and very quickly a wall took shape. Each brick carries the name of a lost friend or relative. Some have pictures of the missing person, some have religious ikons, some have burning candles - a sure sign that even after all this time they are visited regularly and hope remains. The length of the wall is quite staggering but nobody has counted the bricks. It is more poignant than any state funded memorial, and one cannot help feeling very emotional just looking at it."
Many of his films are in the Yorkshire Film Archive (https://www.yfanefa.com/ )
His humour was often evident in his films. He made a superb one about a woman preparing for a party ... when everything that could go wrong did - at this moment its title escapes me. He created many great welcomes for British film programmes at the UNICA festivals. His Introductory movies were hailed by European audiences as classic "British Sense of Humour" and set the mood for UK successes.
He was proudly Chairman of Newcastle ACA - and a frequent judge at amateur film competitions up and down the country. He was President of the North East Cinema and Video Association (NECA).
At BIAFF 2026 in a few weeks time, there will be a quiet figure missing from the seat nearest the cinema door, which he had made his own for several years.
We miss you, Brian.
As Linda Gough put it: "He just gave up living and gently died in his sleep. There was no service or Wake for him. These were his instructions."
But many of us will remember him for his very long service to the IAC and the amateur film movement.
He was a fine and thoughtful film maker. He had a strong sense of humour. He had a twinkling personality. He played a large part in film competitions and for years managed the BIAFF competition judging.
Among his films were Wall of Tears - about which he wrote: "Afte the last conflict in Croatia, someone wrote the name of a missing relative on a brick and placed it on a main thoroughfare in the capital city of Zagreb. The idea caught on and very quickly a wall took shape. Each brick carries the name of a lost friend or relative. Some have pictures of the missing person, some have religious ikons, some have burning candles - a sure sign that even after all this time they are visited regularly and hope remains. The length of the wall is quite staggering but nobody has counted the bricks. It is more poignant than any state funded memorial, and one cannot help feeling very emotional just looking at it."
Many of his films are in the Yorkshire Film Archive (https://www.yfanefa.com/ )
His humour was often evident in his films. He made a superb one about a woman preparing for a party ... when everything that could go wrong did - at this moment its title escapes me. He created many great welcomes for British film programmes at the UNICA festivals. His Introductory movies were hailed by European audiences as classic "British Sense of Humour" and set the mood for UK successes.
He was proudly Chairman of Newcastle ACA - and a frequent judge at amateur film competitions up and down the country. He was President of the North East Cinema and Video Association (NECA).
At BIAFF 2026 in a few weeks time, there will be a quiet figure missing from the seat nearest the cinema door, which he had made his own for several years.
We miss you, Brian.