News on Screen

After taking a Double First in Classics at Cambridge, during which he produced a short 16mm film of a miners’ strike in South Wales, Donald Alexander joined Strand Films in 1934, later making the much-acclaimed film ‘Wealth of a Nation’.

For most of World War Two, Alexander made two reel films for the Ministry of Information at Paul Rotha Productions, (where he was a director from 1941-1944) before setting up (with other former Rotha employees) the co-operative film unit DATA (Documentary And Technicians Alliance) [qv] in 1944. He remained chairman of the organisation until his departure in 1950. Several sponsors commissioned films from DATA after the war, most frequently the National Coal Board [qv]. During this period, from 1948-1951, Alexander produced Mining Review.

In 1951, Alexander was appointed NCB Films Officer, setting up its in-house Film Unit [qv] in 1953 and directing or writing many of its productions both before and after his stint running the unit ended in 1963. His producing credits for this period include, ‘A PIT IS REBORN: 3. MACRIHANISH’ in Mining Review 2nd Year No.3 of November 1948, and ‘BIG TOP’ in Mining Review 3rd Year No.9 of May 1950.

He left in 1965, but continued to make several films for the NCB as a freelancer. In 1969 became Director of Audio Visual Studies at the University of Dundee, a post from which he retired in September 1979.

Sources

H. Donaldson, ‘Coal Film Makers: An Appreciation’ (NCB, London, 1981) p.4, 8, 10, 22: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1144929/; Accessed 22/11/2005: NoS Number 345490; Mining Review 2nd Year Number 3; Date released November 1948: NoS Number 345657; Mining Review 3rd Year Number 9; Date released May 1950: P. Rotha, ‘Documentary Film’ (London, 1968), p263.: P. Rotha, Documentary Diary (London 1973), p47.: I. Aitken, ‘Encyclopedia of Documentary Film’, Volume 1 pp25-26.: Gifford, Dennis, ‘The British Film Catalogue. Vol. 2’ (London, 2001), p365.