Judy Ironside (née Mazzier) MBE
1. When you were at Brighton & Hove High School, and what is your fondest memory of school?
I was at the School from 1949 to 1964. My fondest memory is of the camaraderie of friends and the laughter we shared.
2. Who was your favourite teacher and why?
Mrs Gourlay who taught Geography. I particularly liked this subject and I remember that this teacher had a good and relaxed manner and brought the subject to life for me. Maybe this is one of the reasons I have always liked to travel.
3. What were the benefits of being in an all-girls school?
I made some close friendships although as an only child I am still not completely sure if an all girls school was the best option – not sure you will want to hear that!
4. What did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
I was always most interested in the creative arts and I thought about careers where I would work with people and those who were involved in these professions. I initially trained as a Drama Therapist and worked with children and young people with special needs and in areas of fostering and adoption.
5. What do you do now, and what are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?
I founded the UK Jewish Film Festival in 1997 and I am still working with this charity and now my title is Founder and President of UK Jewish Film. I also founded and ran the Geneva International Jewish Film Festival for 13 years and this has recently been taken over by the local team in Switzerland. My passion has always been to share people’s stories since I see this as an important way to reach out and gain understanding of our different backgrounds and perspectives. Both my Drama Therapy practice and the Film Festival were related to the importance of sharing stories either by word of mouth or through the power of film. One of the most rewarding aspects of my film festival career has been to enable new and young filmmakers to write their scripts and get their first films out there through the film fund that I initiated : The Pears Short Film Fund at UK Jewish Film.
6. What are you most proud of so far?
That I have been able to reach so many different people across the world by enabling films on so many different topics to be brought to them and for those who are filmmakers to get a better chance to start their careers.
7. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at Brighton?
I cannot recall one piece of advice in particular, but I think that I gained the confidence to be truly myself though that did not mean that I was the perfect pupil!
8. What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Stay true to yourself once you spend time working out who you are and who you want to become.
9. What book, film or piece of music would you recommend to your younger self and to your fellow alumnae?
I can name my most recent favourite book and an older film and these are as follows:
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson since this taught me a great deal about slavery from a personal and dramatic perspective and reminded me of the incredible pleasure to pick up and read a book you simply cannot put down !
And a not so recent film would be : The English Patient directed by Anthony Minghella who I met on several occasions before his relatively early demise. The film focuses on war but also on romance and the sadness and tragedy of war beyond the battlefield.
10. How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who really lived life to the full and hopefully made an impact and difference to those around her.
