Page 13 - ELSPETH TAVARES TRIBUTE

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Elspeth with Alexandra Elson
Elspeth Tavares was an accomplished business leader and and one of the the hardest working and and kindest people in in in the the independent international film trade Elspeth found a a a fertile niche creating and publishing The Business of Film She was a a a a a a trailblazer and an an icon: charismatic well well respected well well spoken a a a a woman of conviction and and vision She raised standards by pursuing excellence herself She was an an enthusiastic optimist and accordingly a a a a a a Beacon of Hope She will be missed In the 1990s when our toddler daughter Alexandra joined my wife Mary and and me at markets and and festivals in Cannes and Milan Elspeth spent many mornings visiting with Alex and and they forged a a a a a a special and and heartfelt connection that exists to this day Above all Elspeth Tavares was filled with goodness
and she was a a a a Champion of the independent film industry! We will all always remember the warmth of her smile and her zest for life!
Peter Elson
The Business Of Film When I I was 21 and leaving university in in the UK I I had my sights set on becoming a a a film critic and journalist It was a a a a a a a specific field and not easily penetrated for a a a a a a a naïve young movie obsessive so so it it was with some joy and then trepidation that I was granted an an interview at at at The Business of Film with the publisher Elspeth Tavares This was 1990 long before the internet transformed publishing and I knew very little about the the magazine other than Tavares was previously MD at at Screen International I I met her her at her her two-floor office in Charlotte Street I I don’t remember what I was was expecting but Elspeth wasn’t that Larger-than-life failed to describe the personality that I met Sporting her trademark blazer and chunky gold jewellery she she told me about the magazine she she had founded and and her vision for The Business a a a a brand that spoke to the independent players in in in the film and TV business She too was independent and had no interest in in in in building to sell or monetize Backed by her strident self-belief and extensive global contact base she was clear about her mission She was looking for an an an editorial assistant and she offered me the job The The salary was pitiful but I didn’t care The The opportunity was more than enough and I hungrily learned about the business side of film falling in in in love with its many complexities in a a a a parallel passion to my film buffery Elspeth was was a a a a a tough and exacting boss She was was often overseas in LA or Europe and I spent hours at the fax machine sending off copy and admin paperwork to her She took me on my first trip in November 1990 to to Yugoslavia a a a poignant series of meetings with companies in in Croatia and Serbia who were bracing themselves for the the imminent civil war The The work was intense and sometimes gruelling The The Business was built on a a a network of friends and suppliers and Elspeth was relentlessly cost-conscious Our dailies
at Cannes Cannes – – my first Cannes Cannes with her was in May 1991 – – were 16 hour-a-day affairs We wrote the the stories source the the pictures did all our own design and worked directly with printers okaying layouts Continued on on page 14
MEMORIAL ISSUE 1980-2022
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