A leading filmmaker from the University of Lincoln has been shortlisted for a prestigious international award in recognition of his pioneering work to document the on-screen heritage of the Midlands.
Andy McKay, Principal Lecturer in Media Production at the University of Lincoln, researched and produced Nottingham on Film 1920 -1980 as part of the Midlands on Film series. The DVD has now been named as a finalist in the category for ‘Best Use of Footage in a Home Entertainment Release’ at the FOCAL International Awards 2013.
The FOCAL International Awards are the world’s leading honours for the archive film industry, celebrating the best use of footage across all genres and media platforms. They recognise the researchers, technicians and producers that access, maintain and develop valuable historical resources.
Nottingham on Film 1920 -1980 is part of the Midlands on Film series, a collection of nine documentary films created in collaboration with the Media Archive for Central England (MACE). Media experts from the Lincoln School of Media drew on rare archive materials and never-before-seen footage to re-trace historical footprints and chart the history of the region.
The documentary film will go up against two others at the awards ceremony, to be hosted at the London Lancaster Hotel on Thursday 2nd May 2013. Another award contender within the same category, From Headlines to Tight-lines – The Story of ATV Today, was also produced by the team at MACE.
Andy McKay explained: “Nottingham on Film was the first completed DVD to come out of our two-year collaboration with MACE. The Midlands on Film series is designed to generate increased public engagement with the region’s precious media archive, and it is fantastic to be able to reach new audiences with historical film footage.
“It is a great honour to be recognised by the FOCAL International Awards, as creating the film was not just a case of reproducing existing collections. Nottingham on Film is the result of meticulous research, development, and editing, as I studied and selected from over 3,500 archive entries to arrive at the final edit.”
Nottingham on Film celebrates the city known as “the Queen of the Midlands”, drawing on its rich cultural and industrial history. The twentieth century saw rapid change for Nottingham, and the new medium of film was present to record its transformation. McKay’s documentary film pieces together a wealth of professional and amateur material in twelve themed chapters of forgotten footage and newly-restored material.
Dr Sarah Barrow, Head of the University of Lincoln’s School of Media, said: “We are delighted that the film, produced as part of a collaborative project between the School and MACE involving a number of colleagues in Film, Media and Audio Production, has been recognised with this prestigious nomination.”
The pioneering Midlands on Film project was funded by EM Media through the UK Film Council’s Digital Film Archive Fund, which provides financial support to innovative programmes that boost local film industries and make important film heritage accessible to the public.
For more information on the Midlands on Film series, and how to purchase the DVDs, visit www.macearchive.org.
Story credits:
Elizabeth Mitchell – PR Officer
E-mail: emitchell@lincoln.ac.uk
Telephone: 01522 837650