Percy Childs is an old friend from my years with the British Federation of Film Societies. His contacts in Poland asked him to find some UK entries for the FAZY Festival in 1984. I put him on to Bernard Ashby who was then IAC Film Librarian and thus began an association with IAC which has kept Percy busily attending amateur movie festivals all over Europe until ill-health put a stop to that in 2007.

His reports have always been fascinating. He attended the bi-ennial IDAF Festival at Duisburg one year and explained:

They have always had the advantage of a really super venue - a 200-ish seater in a pedestrianised old-town square, with a bar and coffee-lounge below, tables outside in the summer, and sandwiched between two pub-restaurants. Projection and presentation always immaculate in timing, picture, and sound. The first year I went there I met the then president of the BDFA, who in a very nice way grilled me "Why is Great Britain not in UNICA?".

Percy also noted several interesting entries which might turn up in our own IAC competition.

How the situation has changed! We are now back in UNICA and doing well in its annual festival.

Having been asked to help find entries for the Czech Senior Forum festival Percy approached various more mature IAC people. One of Gerald Mee's films was shown. It did not win an award but the organisers were very pleased to include it. That started a tradition and many British film makers over the festival's eccentric age limit of 58 have since taken part.

Percy's activities are two-way. He spots interesting work at other festivals and encourages makers to enter them in our competition. Back in 2002 he wrote:

On my return the last awaited films from Russia and Poland had arrived, so I was frantically packing last night, and have today posted my five 'on behalf' entries to Movie 2002, hoping they will scrape in before the shutter falls. A bumper bundle this year, most of which I caught at Duisburg.

If there is a moral to this tale it is: "Seize the day!"  Percy has travelled all over Europe, made many good friends and encouraged moviemakers to send their work to other lands.

See also The Awards Get Through - an example of Percy in action.

- Dave Watterson

Page updated on 21 March 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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