We have had some very sad news at Borderlines Film Festival - Carol Hunter died unexpectedly in mid September. She was a founder Board member of Borderlines and a pioneer of online independent movie sales on DVD and video. In the late 1990s, she set up MovieMail in Hereford, and it was this that nurtured Herefordshire’s appetite for film and for a film festival.
With her extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for film, she was a key supporter of the idea of a rural film festival. She helped to form the new Company, joining four of us who set up the Borderlines Company, which took over the fledgling film festival from The Rural Media Company in 2004/5.
Carol was immensely helpful to the Festival’s first Director, David Gillam. Finding that his first ever film programme was considered rather ambitious for Herefordshire, he asked her advice, and she told him he needed to be ambitious and stick to his principles. And the festival continues to this day with its adventurous programming.
Fiona Mitchell, who was an international film agent at the time, met Carol, heard all about the Festival and subsequently became one of the Company Directors, bringing her expertise and contacts with her to Borderlines’ great advantage.
The existence of MovieMail was key to creating a thirst for films in every language and genre locally and at one time it was Hereford’s second largest Royal Mail customer. In the city, you could walk into their showroom and browse hundreds of world cinema and classic films, more titles than any other store in the UK, and you could rent or buy them on the spot. Their staff were keen movie goers too, and always happy to talk film.
Though Carol and MovieMail moved away from Hereford some years ago, to London, then Glasgow, she returned most years for a few intensive days of viewing at the Festival, which she really enjoyed. We shall miss her presence a lot, her positivity, her perceptive and strongly held opinions on films - a template for our enduring Borderlines audience.
Thank you from Borderlines, Carol.
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