by JACK KINDRED

Leaving Variety for good, long-time Rome staffer Deborah Young has been appointed director of the Taormina International Film Festival in Sicily. She was here wrapping up her last reviews for the paper. Deborah was a member of Variety’s Daily Screen Guide team headed by Elizabeth Guider.

Ron Holloway was busy with interviews and meetings prior to being awarded, with wifieDorothea Moritz, the fest’s Golden Camera on Friday for their contribution to the German Film, among other things, their 88 quarterlies on domestic and international film events.

Whilom Hamburg stringer and current freelancer Ernest Gill was off for San Francisco on a ghost-writing mission, after a long weekend at the Berlinale. Ernest and I caught Berlinale supremo Dieter Kosslick at the posh restaurent Lutter & Wegner in the Kaisersaal as he was rushing to another event but had time to greet us warmly. Variety ties with Dieter go back to Hamburg days decades ago when he headed the Hanseatic City’s Film Fund.

Perennial Berlinale goers Edna Fainaru, former reviewer and hubbie Dan Fainaru, were reporting for various outlets in Israel.

Another of the oldtime Variety staffers has joined the ranks of the Hollywood Reporter, which seems to be beefing up its international staff. The latest defection is Deborah Young, long-time Rome-based scribe, who’ll be attending the forthcoming Berlin film festival and reviewing pics there as the “chief international film critic” of the trade sheet.
(more…)

Former Berlin-based Variety mugg and longtime film critic for the paper, Ron Holloway,will be honored at this year’s Berlin Film Festival with a Golden Camera award. Sharing in the kudos will be Ron’s wife, actress Dorothea Moritz, who has served on the Berlinale selection committee for 19 years.
(more…)

Ex Variety mugg Hy Hollinger, who works for The Hollywood Reporter, informs us that former TV editor on Variety, Jack Loftus, has been named Chief Communications Office for VNU, the parent company of THR.

For the past years Jack has been Senior VP, Chief Communication Office of Nielsen Media Research in New York.

Congratulations, Jack, and a Merry Yuletide to you!

Recently passing through Madrid on his way to the MIPCOM was former Rio correspondent, Nelson Hoineff. He was in town long enuf to have a coffee in town and tell us of his latest activities in TV and film in Rio, where the crime rate is soaring… Huddling in New York’s Oyster Bar restaurant recently, located in the bowels of Grand Central Station, were former ad manager Mort Bryer, ex-bureau chief in Munich, Jack Kindred, and Peter Besas, who was in Gotham on a short private jaunt. Many oysters, clams and fish were cheerfully downed, along with some alcohol. Jack was on his way to his home town, Sioux Falls, and Bryer schlepped in from his mansion in Connecticut.

···

Joan Silverman has sent out the news that Syd will be celebrating his Big 75. He said, “a celebration, no way!” but Joanie talked it over with him and convinced him to have one anyway. They’ll be celebrating with a few friends and old-timers at Sardi’s on January 13th. We’ll give a full report of the “do” after it’s held and may even have some pics to post.