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Patrons & Honorary Members

FOCAL International is indebted to its patrons and those honorary members who have helped forge the development of the organisation and the footage and content industry as a whole.

Current Chair of Patrons

Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE

Chair of Patrons

David Puttnam is an acclaimed Director, active politician and supporter of FOCAL having presented the FOCAL Awards for seven years. His award winning films include The Mission and Chariots of Fire. Since retiring from film production David has focused on education and has been Chancellor of the University of Sunderland since 1998. His other work includes being the UNICEF President, 2002-2009, which took him round the world to raise awareness of issues affecting children. David was awarded a CBE in 1982, received Knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. In France he has been honoured as a Commander of Arts and letters.

Greg Dyke, Patron

Greg Dyke is Chairman of the British Film Institute, ATG and Former Director General of the BBC. After an early career as a journalist, he started his broadcasting career in 1977 at London Weekend Television. He went on to become Editor-in-Chief of TV-am, Director of Programmes for TVS and Director of Programmes for LWT before becomming their Group Chief Executive. Other work has included being the first Chairman for Channel 5, Chairman for GMTV and at various times Director of Channel 4, ITN and BSkyB. In January 2000 he became the Director-General of the BBC and in his four years there launched four new digital television channels, five new digital radio channels and opened two new BBC regions amongst other achievements. He now is Chancellor for the University of York and advises the NHS on leadership.

Julien Temple

A boy holding a glass in front of him. The boy look sullen, staring into the distance.
Honoured at the 2019 FOCAL International Awards as recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Julien Temple’s celebrated filmography traverses the realms of fiction, documentary and music video. His iconic documentaries that include The Filth and the Fury; The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson; Requiem for Detroit; and London: A Modern Babylon demonstrate his fascination with the lives of creative pioneers as well as the multi-layered histories of people and place.

Gerry Weinbren

Gerry Weinbren standing with microphone at a table
Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2018 with the Lifetime Achievement Award Gerry Weinbren is a pioneer of the UK footage industry. An independent film maker who founded Index Film & Television Library in the early 1970s to preserve production elements and to licence footage from them, at a time when few such resources were available. He has remained at the forefront of the sector ever since, continually driving up standards and anticipating future trends such as HD and 4K. A champion of 35mm film, he has long recognised the value of a format ideally suited to a library, one that is capable of matching ever higher resolution demands of present and evolving technology.

Serge Viallet

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2017 with the Lifetime Achievement Award Serge Viallet is a multiple award-winning Producer and Director. A long-term advocate of the power and value of archives, Serge helped establish the archives of Médecins san Frontiéres, Bophana archive centre (Phnom-Penh, Cambodia) and is at present Maître de Conference Associé at the Sorbonne.

Robert Gitt

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2016 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.In a career spanning more than fifty years, Robert Gitt has gained an international reputation as one of the foremost experts in the preservation and restoration of motion pictures. Gitt, who served as Preservation Officer at the UCLA Film & Television Archive from 1977 to 2005.

Raye Farr

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2015 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.Former Director of the Steven Spielberg Film And Video Archive and of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Permanent Exhibition.

Vladimir Opela

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2014 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.A tireless advocate for film preservation in both his native Czechoslovakia and abroad, Vladimir is also the man who initiated UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

Paul Sargent

paul
Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2013 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.Former Head Curator of the Imperial War Museum.For more than 30 years, Sargent has played a significant role in the British content industry, leading the commercial access team of the Imperial War Museums Film Archive. Paul also served on the FOCAL International Executive for many years and initiated several significant training programmes.

Rick Prelinger

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2012 with the Lifetime Achievement Award. An archivist, teacher, writer, lecturer, consultant and filmmaker, Rick Prelinger’s activities in the archive industry are varied and widespread. He has been an innovator and creative force in the industry since 1982 when he founded the Prelinger Archives.

John Herron

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2011 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

David Atkinson

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2010 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Roy Harris

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2009 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Elizabeth Klinck

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2008 with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Highly respected as a Canadian Image Researcher and Clearance Specialist with well over 25 years experience in the business, she also gives back to the community that fosters her career. As her engagements continue and offer challenges, she divulges her insights, trade secrets and the latest developments to peers and the next generation by lecturing on the subject, organising workshops and serving on a number of industry boards.

Larry McKinna

Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2007 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Christine Whittaker

Image of Christine
Honoured in the FOCAL International Awards 2006 with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The late Jane Mercer, and former Chair of FOCAL International, described Christine as "the doyenne of British film researchers."

Jerome Kuehl

Archive producer and consultant. Winner of the FOCAL International Award for Lifetime Achievement 2004. Honoured by FOCAL International for his lifetime's contribution to the industry and in recognition of his support of FOCAL over many years.

Pam Turner

Honoured by FOCAL in 1998 for her lifetime’s contribution to the industry and in recognition of her support to FOCAL since it was conceived in 1985.

Graham Murray

Honoured by FOCAL in 1988 for his lifetime’s contribution to the industry.

Stanley Forman

Honoured by FOCAL in 2001 for his lifetime’s contribution to the industry.

John Huntley

Honoured by FOCAL International 2003 with the Lifetime Achievement Award

Jill Hawkins, FOCAL | President 1985-1992

The Original Driving Force behind FOCAL who conceived the idea, nurtured it and brought it to fruition in 1985. Honoured by FOCAL in 1992 in recognition of outstanding services to FOCAL International.