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National Library of Scotland

Biography of 'Scottish Amateur Film Festival (SAFF)'

Amateur film festival organisation

SIAFF had its origins in the Open Competition for cine enthusiasts organised by the Meteor Film Producing Society, held in Glasgow in October 1933. By 1934 it had been launched as an annual competition named Scottish Amateur Film Festival, becoming Scottish International Amateur Film Festival in 1970.

The Festival went into abeyance during the Second World War, resumed in 1948 as an annual event, until 1978, with only three festivals 1981, 1983 and 1986 to follow. Festival historians claim that it was the first competition of its kind to be organised in the world and the first of the three major amateur competitions in Great Britain (citing Institute of Amateur Cinematographers and Amateur Cine World as others).

The SIAFF was unique for its adjudication system and the appointment of a professional from the film industry as Adjudicator. These industry contributors have included John Grierson, Alfred Hithcock, Michael Powell, Paul Rotha, Sidney Furie and Alan Parker. The Festivals were organised by the Scottish Association of Amateur Cinematographers from 1949, in association with Scottish Film Council. The public presentation of prizewinning films was made in the Cosmo Cinema in Glasgow.

Researcher: National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive

Films associated with 'COCOZZA, Enrico'

Title Release date Film reference Sound Colour Date film record added Date video added Asc Desc
	HIGHLAND CASTLES [1784] Add to my films Inverness Castle, Castle Stuart, Castle Leys, Eilean Donan, Dunvegan, Achnacarry and Aldourie Castle are all seen together with their surrounding countryside.		1949 silent col
	HIRAM'S HOLIDAY [10469] Add to my films Amateur comedy about an American tourist whose wallet is stolen, and he has to work in the hotel to pay for his stay.	Onsite only	1968 sound col
	HISTORY OF LIGHTING [2468] Add to my films A history of different sources of lighting showing the earliest examples of flame torches to oil lamps, gas light and to modern day electric lighting. Illustrated by means of paintings, dramatised scenes, demonstrations and original artifacts.	Onsite only	1959 sound col
	HIT AND A MISS, a [3907] Add to my films A comedic tale set in the garden of the Thoms' family house, on a summer's day. A group of boys playing in the garden get into trouble with a pernickety neighbour but later redeem themselves by spotting and catching a burglar in that same neighbour's house. The tale takes a funny twist at the end.	Onsite only	1954 silent col
	HOLIDAYS, HURRAH! [3807] Add to my films Misadventures of family preparing to go on their holiday.		1940 silent bw
	HORN CARVING [2645] Add to my films The craftsman Hamish Robson at work in his workshop in Braemar.		1962 sound bw
	HOW NOT TO BATH A BABY [4286] Add to my films An amusing amateur film about a baby getting a bath, and all the obstacles that befall the father in the process!		1955 silent bw
	HUMPTY DUMPTY [2751] Add to my films An animated film to help children read and spell.		1960 silent col
	IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE [1958] Add to my films An account of the life of the explorer David Livingstone, the film returns to his birthplace and retraces his footsteps through Africa.	Onsite only	1955 mute col
	JAPANESE JOURNEY [4118] Add to my films Records a holiday journey through Japan in April - cherry blossom time. Shows peasants working in the fields cultivating tea and young girls diving for pearl oysters. Visits are paid to ancient Shinto shrines and Buddist temples, some of which are surrounded by typical Japanese gardens, as well as recording Tokyo city, shipbuilding and a brief glimpse of Hiroshima.		1963 sound col
	JOYS OF THE OPEN ROAD [1250] Add to my films A humorous satire on the joys of motoring, the film was entered at the 1961 SAFF. [Please note there is no actual footage of cars driving in this film, only tracking shots as seen from a moving vehicle]		1961 silent col
	JUNGLE JINKS, HEIL OESTERREICH, POTTERY and GLASGOW JUNIOR INSTRUCTION CENTRE [2108] Add to my films Composite reel of family film and footage from other titles by film-maker. [JUNGLE JINKS entered for the Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1940].	Onsite only	1937 silent bwcol
	KINTYRE [2767] Add to my films Scenes of life on the Mull of Kintytre including shots of holiday makers and local inhabitants. Shots of farming, fishing and mining at the Argyll Colliery and general views of Campbeltown.		1955 sound col
	LEISURE HOUR, a [9284] Add to my films Contrary to the title, the man in this amateur story film is not enjoying much leisure time! His quiet nap in the garden is constantly interrupted by members of the family - old and young.		1953 silent col
	LINBURN'S ROYAL DAY [6567] Add to my films Overview of Royal visit to Scottish National Institution for the War Blinded workshops and houses in Linburn, Midlothian. People cheering and waving from exterior galleries.	Onsite only	1958 sound col
	LITTLE MISS MUFFET [3923] Add to my films Short educational show depicting the nursery-rhyme 'Little Miss Muffet'. Girl enacts the rhyme and then hold up words to practise reading		1962 mute col
	LOBSTER CATCHING [3557] Add to my films Lobster catching in the Orkneys.		1939 silent col
	MARY'S GARDEN [2772] Add to my films An animated film illustrating the nursery rhyme to help young children read out loud.		1947 silent col
	NEW YORK AND WORLD'S FAIR [0130] Add to my films A holiday in New York with shots of Wall Street, Fifth Avenue, Rockerfeller Centre, George Washington Statue, the World's Fair, and Broadway at midnight.		1939 silent col
	OATS [3896] Add to my films Describes experiments carried out in Ayrshire to improve the standard and quality of oats.		1951 silent col
	OCHILTREE TILE WORKS [0948] Add to my films The manufacturing processes involved in producing clay tiles. [Commended at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1951].		1951 silent bw
	OLYMPIC GAMES: Melbourne 1956 [3991] Add to my films Records various track and field events at the 1956 Olympic Games, held in Melbourne, Australia. Includes medal ceremony and opening and closing celebrations.		1956 silent bw
	PENALTY, the [3248] Add to my films The story of a schoolboy footballer who ignored rules of road safety and the resulting penalty. Commended in the 1948 Scottish Amateur Film Festival.	Onsite only	1948 silent bw
	PICTORIAL MARQUETRY [3917] Add to my films Shows the various stages involved in making a picture by inlaying a variety of wood veneers		1953 silent col
	PIECE OF CLAY, a [9675] Add to my films A simple 'piece of clay' is transformed by the skill of a potter into a vase in this film, commended by the Scottish Amateur Film Festival, 1952.	Onsite only	1952 silent col
	PILGRIMS AT CARFIN 1937 / CORPUS CHRISTI AT CARFIN [9355] Add to my films Religious events at Carfin Grotto in Lanarkshire.		1937 silent bwcol
	PILGRIM'S PROGRESS THROUGH THE HOLY LAND, a [4066] Add to my films General views of the towns, landscapes, people and their way of life in the countries of Israel, Lebanon and Jordan, focussing on significant Christian locations and places where Christ dwelt.		1959 sound col
	PILLS FOR ALL ILLS [5874] Add to my films A salesman selling energy pills has no luck and two elderly gentlemen have a mix-up over a cut hand and a bloody bandage.	Onsite only	1956 silent col
	POTTERY [2107] Add to my films An entry for the 1937 Scottish Amateur Film Festival, it shows a potter at work in a small house and yard in Somerset.		1936 silent col
	POTTERY AS A SCHOOL CRAFT [2287] Add to my films Art master and pupils of Allan Glen's School demonstrate various methods of making pottery. [Prize-winner at the 1951 Scottish Amateur Film Festival.] [See also ref. 2288.]	Onsite only	1951 silent bw
	REFLECTIONS OF STEVENSON [9494] Add to my films A dramatisation of scenes from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel 'The Black Arrow: a Tale of the Two Roses', including general views of Edinburgh streets.		1953 silent bw
	RIDING DISPLAY 1952 PAGEANT HAZELDEN 1953 [10454] Add to my films Amateur footage of a horse-riding display and a costume pageant at an equestrian centre.		1953 silent bw
	RIDING SCHOOL DARTMOOR [9945] Add to my films Amateur footage of equestrian displays at riding schools.		1951 silent bwcol
	RIVER IS SPANNED, the [1762] Add to my films A reconstruction of the building of the Forth railway bridge using contemporary footage and stills. [The film was a prize winner at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival, 1950].	Onsite only	1950 sound bw
	ROBIN [9308] Add to my films Everyone has to pitch in and help as Iain Dunnachie's new baby son Robin becomes part of the family! A prize-winning amatuer film.		1951 sound col
	ROBOT THREE [1111] Add to my films Fictional story following the lines of a Frankenstein type horror movie: A grim scientist orders one of his androids to destroy another, after finding out it has fallen in love with a third, "female" robot. She seduces her creator into drinking from a poisoned cup, and makes her escape...		1951 sound col
	SALMON FISHING BY THE RING NET METHOD [1681] Add to my films Salmon fishing by the ring net method on Loch Feochan, Argyllshire.		1952 silent bw
	SALMON FISHING IN SKYE [1650] Add to my films Salmon fishermen at work on the shores of Skye; mending and sorting their nets and bringing in catch. A shark is caught in the net and has to be returned to deeper water. [Entered for the Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1941.]		1938 silent col
	SCHOOL IN THE TROSSACHS [2719] Add to my films Activities at a school camp near Gartocharn in Dunbartonshire ranging from a visit to a farm, the production of the camp newspaper, theatre productions, and dancing "the twist" at the end of the camp.		1964 sound col
	SCOTTISH DAILY NEWS [1327] Add to my films The story of the Scottish Daily News from the closure of the Scottish Daily Express to the last run of the Scottish Daily News. [A prize-winning film at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival 1976.]	Onsite only	1975 sound col
	SCOTTISH SNOW GROUNDS, the [2677] Add to my films Made over two years with the co-operation of the Scottish Ski Club and Dundee Ski Club it shows both learners and experts skiing on the slopes of Ben Lawers.		1951 sound col
	SEA ROAD TO THE ISLES, the [8675] Add to my films A McLachlan family trip to the Highlands and out to the Western Isles on board the motor yacht 'Malaya'.		1937 sound col
	SEVEN TILL FIVE [1100] Add to my films Filmed by Norman McLaren and Willie J. MacLean, it shows a day in the life of the Glasgow School of Art. [Awarded SAFF prize].	Onsite only	1934 silent bw
	SHEEP DIPPING [3570] Add to my films Educational film illustrating sheep dipping practice in Shetland.		1936 silent bw
	SILK SCREEN PRINTING [5014] Add to my films Amateur film demonstrating the process of silk screen printing. This film was specially commended by Amateur Cine World. Entered for the 1958 Scottish Amateur Film Festival, novice category, but no award given.		1958 sound col
	SILVER BUTCHER [7234] Add to my films A man has great difficulty making his own fishing flies, so he gets a friend to demonstrate the nine stages of making a 'Silver Butcher'.	Onsite only	1952 silent bwcol
	SIMPLE SIMON [3916] Add to my films Short educational puppet show depicting the nursery-rhyme 'Simple Simon'. The puppets enact the rhyme and then hold up words to practise reading.		1964 silent col
	SKIMSTERS, the [2668] Add to my films Waterskiers on Loch Earn, practising and taking part in Loch Earn Water Skiing championships. [Winner of the Marshall Quaich award at the 1959 Scottish Amateur Film Festival].		1959 sound col
	SLAVONIAN GREBE, the [4032] Add to my films Nature film about the Slavonian Grebe and its nest.		1961 sound col
	SO FAR SO GOOD: The Strathspey Railway Association [4230] Add to my films This film charts the efforts of the Strathspey Railway Association (S.R.A.) to restore the defunct Aviemore station to full public use.	Onsite only	1975 sound col