Journal of Film Preservation N° 60/61 - FIAF

comme professionnels, pour répandre la bonne nouvelle et inciter tel
ou tel pays à rejoindre la FIAF. Pour les nouveaux adhérents, la FIAF,
c’était Brigitte van der Elst. Et pour nous aussi, qui lui refilions les
dossiers ennuyeux et lui confions la correspondance officielle, la
FIAF, c’était Brigitte.
Brigitte était aussi mon amie. Nous parlions de nos enfants et de nos
lectures, tout autant que de la FIAF. Dans quelques années, nous
aurions eu des conversations nostalgiques d’anciens combattants. La
vie en a décidé autrement.
Robert Daudelin
Brigitte van der Elst and I were part of FIAF during almost the same
period, the decades of the seventies and eighties and the beginning
of the nineties. I was attending my first Executive Committee meeting
when her candidacy for the position of secretary to the federation
was accepted, and she retired a few years after I did. It was Jacques
Ledoux who presented her credentials, and who, in his position as
Secretary General, would supervise her work in Brussels. He managed
the Secretariat in the same way he ran the Cinematheque
Royale, rigorously and with total control. Brigitte had to meet with
him daily and show him every piece of mail that came in and went
out of the Secretariat, and this continued for many years after she
had proved that she was capable of handling affairs responsibly on
her own. She yearned for a degree of recognition while he could not
relax his control. Difficult as this was for her at times, she continued
to respect him and learn from him what an ideal FIAF should be.
When Jacques resigned as Secretary General and withdrew from his
very active role in the federation, the Executive Committe insisted
that she be given the title of executive secretary, together with more
responsibility, and she soon proved the wisdom of that decision. She
learned Spanish (in addition to the several languages she already
spoke) for the purpose of better relations with the constantly growing
number of Spanish-speaking archives. She made friends everywhere
for FIAF and its tasks. But others have spoken of her awesome
abilities, tireless work and her devotion. What I remember is her soft
heart. How many kindness she did, what unknown good deeds as
she travelled around the world, will only be known by the individuals
who received the benefit of them, but I knew of some. I am glad
to count her among my friends.
Eileen Bowser
67 Journal of Film Preservation / 60/61 / 2000
En février dernier, un lundi matin, Brigitte
me dit qu’elle avait des courses à faire à
proximité de la rue Defacqz, et me demanda
si j’avais le temps de prendre un café avec
elle. Notre rencontre s’est d’abord prolongé
jusqu’à midi, puis nous avons déjeuné
ensemble et nous avons longuement évoqué
des souvenirs. Elle m’a demandé des
nouvelles de nombreux collègues. Ce fut un
moment d’amitié et de bonheur. Nous nous
sommes embrassés avant de nous quitter.
J’avais compris qu’avec ses dernières forces
elle s’était mise en route pour prendre
définitivement congé de ses amis et de la
FIAF. Brigitte s’est éteinte quelques jours
plus tard. Elle nous manque.
Christian Dimitriu
Brigitte van der Elst
Anyone who has had contact with FIAF in
the last twenty years has had the
opportunity to appreciate the devoted work
of Brigitte van der Elst. No matter what
changes came to the organization, Brigitte
was always at her post, exercising a discreet
authority. For myself, as someone not living
in Europe, Brigitte was the necessary link,
without whose intricate knowledge of the
Federation’s history my task would have
been impossible. Brigitte’s contribution as a
true executive secretary was officially
recognised at the time of the Brighton
Congress in 1978 and this also marks the
point at which FIAF became truly
international; for the newer members,
Brigitte simply was FIAF. Brigitte was also
my friend and we looked forward to the
nostalgic discussions that we would have in
the future, but life decided otherwise.
Robert Daudelin