Death of noted critic
The death, at the age of 73, of Portadown-born film critic, Alexander Walker, of the London Evening Standard, has robbed the industry of one of its most influential - and literate - writers ... and our own industry of a staunch supporter.
Walker was always willing to help local moviemakers and when the first public meeting which led to the formation of the-then Northern Ireland Film Council (now the Film and Television Commission) was held in Belfast, Walker attended as a major speaker.
He was considered the doyen of film writers, to which his beautifully-crafted books and broadcasts testified. He was also a member of a wide range of film-related committees and organisations.
What isn't so well known is that he was also an avid art collector, with works in his London apartment by Warhol, Bacon, Chagall, Hockney and Freud. They are reckoned to be worth £10m (€14m). He said he would like them to go to the British Museum.
