Thanks to BFI Animation Archives’ Senior Curator Jez Stewart, Tony’s film archive will be permanently stored at in the BFI’s Master Film Store, Warwickshire.
In addition to this, Jez has kindly looked into the possibility of the BFI digitising a number of films in the archive. In order to to this, an initial inspection of the physical state film stock has been done, (see above).
A HD scan of some materials was also done, which will enable me to move forward with my documentary project.
A huge thank you to Jez Stewart and the BFI.
“As the Curator of Animation at the BFI National Archive it has become increasingly apparent to me that Tony Pritchett’s work represents a vital continuity though a foundational shift in British animation history. With The Flexipede, Tony instinctively created a film that was as much about character as coding, proving the concept that computer animation was not only viable, but that it belonged squarely within the context of the existing art and industry.
Kate Sullivan’s mission to excavate his story, first in partnership with Tony himself, and then with many of his former colleagues after his sad passing, has formed a rare and vital network between past and present and already yielded significant insights. It would be fantastic for her to be able to continue this work, which as well as unearthing and preserving knowledge about an under investigated area of screen history, is also informing her own artistic practice.
As with Tony, Kate has intuitively linked her research with her creative spirit, adding whole new dimensions to this project that I am sure will result in unique insights and bring new audiences to its outcomes.”
Jez Stewart
