This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

19th July 2011

Odesa Film Festival

The red carpet heaves with talent including John Malkovich, Russian filmmaker and actor Nikita Mikhalkov and many legendary Odesa comedy stars including the “Masks” of Chaos Shakespeare fame. Above, gleaming gilt cherubs frolic.

I’m at the fabulous Odesa opera house for the opening of this year’s Odesa International Film Festival. With six British films on show including “Submarine” in competition, a Monty Python retrospective and British filmmakers taking part in master classes during the week, there’s a strong UK presence, supported by the British Council. I’m delighted to meet Patricia Casey, producer of the first Python film, “And Now For Something Completely Different” and to see the opening film, the remarkable “The Artist”, made in the style of a silent movie, set in 1927 and worth watching for Berenice Bejo alone (some images, and a trailer, here).

I’ve long had a soft spot for Odesa, and it’s good to visit for a day of calls and the opening of the film festival. With its clear theme – a focus on comedy – some world-class venues and worldwide name recognition (thanks in part to famous Soviet movie “Battleship Potemkin“, a genuine silent movie made in 1925) , the festival looks set to flourish. You can see some photos from the opening here.

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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