by Julian Wood
She was a skilled editor, publisher, film writer, board member and cineaste. Tina touched many lives. She was one of those people who was always generous with her wide knowledge and her seemingly endless industry connections. She shared her contacts freely without seeking to aggrandise herself. She obviously took pleasure in putting people in touch.
Above all, Tina cared about the film industry and what today is called screen culture. The range of film writers and artists who attended her recent wake in Sydney was testament to that. She had a long and interesting life. She was part of the so-called ‘baby push’ in the 1970s, and was the main force behind the long-running journal Film News, a publication which managed to span industry acumen with film criticism/appreciation and academia [and was an inspiration in the creation of FilmInk].
Tina was also a tireless supporter (and sometime board member) of the Sydney Film Festival. If you wanted to know what was good to see when planning your schedule, you could not do better than consult her knowledgeable list of recommendations. That freely-given and much sought after advice will be missed this year.
She was also a rebel as befitted her generation and an advocate for free speech. For example, Tina was a key part of the ginger group Watch On Censorship in the 1990s/2000s.
Her film and literary tastes were Catholic, ranging from crime novels to Hong Kong cinema and she read voraciously. Her personal collection of film journals and books could more or less found a museum. Everyone who knew Tina respected her judgment and her no bullshit approach to film knowledge. She wore her erudition lightly, but she was the real deal.
FilmInk salutes her.
