Sometimes a childhood dream can take a long time to come true, but in the case of Christchurch film maker, Eric Montague, he has been able to achieve his goal. After a lifetime as an accountant, Eric is now doing a job he always wanted to do and he will show off his talents with two films to be shown at the Regent Centre, Christchurch on November 19th. The first film, Montague Jack, was made by Wimborne Ciné and Video Society, of which Eric is a member. Eric did much of the filming of the story of Montague Druitt, who some believe was Jack the Ripper.
In the supporting film for the evening, Centenary Celebration Flight, Eric was commissioned to record another man realising an ambition. This recent project has been to record a celebration of the centenary flight of an exact replica of a Blériot XI aircraft, flown by Pilot Henk von Hoorn, who became the first Dutch man to repeat the 1910 crossing. The resulting video tells the story of two amazing days in May 2010. The event was organised by Pascal Kremer from Luxembourg who also made the crossing flying his modified replica of the 1909 aircraft.
Eric, 65, was thrilled to be part of the centenary flight. “I was very pleased to accept the commission,” said Eric. “I filmed the flight through the open doorway of a helicopter. Also on board was the grandson of Jacques de Lesseps, who made that historic flight across the channel 100 years ago.” The film is one of a growing catalogue for Eric, who has been busy recording events in Christchurch and has also produced a DVD guide to the town, covering its popular features and colourful history. This was produced as a film and shown at The Regent Centre last year raising over £2,000 for charity. “It’s great to be doing something I love and seeing the results on the big screen,” he said.
Details of the Centenary Celebration Flight and other films by Eric through Eric’s website at www.netfora.tv
