Judges' praise at Burnley Film Makers festival

Burnley members (from left) Jeff Wolstenholme, Jim Whalley, Ken Davey and Frank Swift

It was the 42nd festival organised over the years by the club and it maintained its highly successful reputation.

Club chairman Carl Stredder welcomed members from 14 film-making clubs from throughout the North West and West Yorkshire.

The 12 competition entries were divided into two sections of approximately 60 minutes each with an interval allowing time for a well-received finger buffet for the 70-plus people attending.

Chairman Carl Stredder welcomes everyone to the 42nd Burnley Film Festival

After viewing all the entries, the audience was able to see, on screen, the well-considered comments from this year’s judge Tim Stannard, a former Chairman of Staines Video Makers in

Surrey and winner of several British International Film Festival awards for amateur film making, as well as representing the UK at UNICA – the world organisation for non-commercial film makers.

His impressive and helpful thoughts on each entry were clearly presented on the Youth Theatre’s large screen before he announced the winners.

The Burnley Trophy, a beautiful engraved lead crystal goblet, was won by Cheadle and Gatley Film Makers with Phil Guy’s excellent nature film on a pair of blackbirds bringing up their young.

The White Rose county then took pride of place – the Runner-Up Goblet went, for the second year in succession, to Wakefield with Ken Wilson’s “Lost and Found”.

This was followed by the Millennium Trophy for the Best Use of Humour going to Jim Walker of Bradford Movie Makers with his short but quick-on-the-draw Western comedy “Challenged”.

The quality of entries so impressed the judge that he also awarded Highly Commended Certificates to Pendle Movie Makers “Haytime in Bowland” by Peter and Daphne Copestake and Graham Kay’s “Venice the Mission” from Swan Movie Makers, Liverpool.

The remaining seven entries had given plenty of variety to challenge the judge and interest the audience.

They ranged from a humourous demonstration by a hypnotist (Southport), to the rebuild of the Flying Scotsman (Bury), a pilot bringing a cargo ship into dock (Morecambe) and a “confession” from Bolton.

A spine tingling ghost story from Altrincham, a nature reserve documentary from Warrington and a 100 vehicle tractor run from the host club completed the varied programme which was thoroughly enjoyed by guests and film-makers alike.