Processing Information
Conditions Governing Access
Preferred Citation
Arrangement
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
BAMPFA Film Library
Title: Allan Francovich papers
creator:
Francovich, Allan
Identifier/Call Number: PFA.MSS.002
Physical Description:
1.5 linear feet
38 folders
Date (inclusive): 1962-1997
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Processing Information
- Finding Aid Author(s):
- Kerwin So
- Date Completed:
- 2005-12-09
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Allan Francovich Collection. [PFA -- MSS -- 002]. UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive,
University of California, Berkeley.
Arrangement
Arranged into seven series: Series 1. Scripts, Production Material, and Reviews, 1973-1994, undated Series 2. Articles and
Essays, 1969-1997, undated Series 3. Correspondence, 1972-1997, undated Series 4. Personal Papers, 1962-1997, undated Series
5. Interviews and Clippings, 1981-1997, undated Series 6. Miscellany, 1981-1998, undated Series 7. Multimedia, 1941-1997,
undated
Biographical / Historical
Allan Francovich was born on March 23, 1941, in New York City. The son of a mining engineer, Francovich grew up in Bolivia
and Peru and learned to speak many languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. He attended the University
of San Marcos in Lima before going on to Notre Dame University, where he earned a B.A. in English, Romance and Slavic Languages.
In Paris, at the height of the French New Wave in cinema, he studied Comparative Literature and Drama at the Sorbonne, as
well as Russian and Serbo-Croatian at L'Ecole des Langues Orientales. He later obtained an M.A. in Dramatic Arts from the
University of California in Berkeley. A prolific writer, Francovich also translated books, poetry, and plays from many languages
into English. He was an American Film Institute Fellow in 1969, and an American Federation of Arts Fellow in 1970. In addition
to working as a film director, Francovich also had experience as an actor, theatrical lighting designer, and camera man. Francovich
was best known for his independent documentaries, including
On Company Business (1980), a documentary on the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. foreign policy;
The Houses are Full of Smoke (1987), a three-part documentary on the death squads in Central America; and
The Maltese Double Cross (1994), a documentary on Pan Am's infamous flight 103, which crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. His films have aired
on numerous television channels including PBS, the BBC, Swedish Television, and Canal 13 in Mexico, as well as at myriad international
film festivals, garnering multiple awards.
On Company Business was selected as the best documentary film at the Berlin Film Festival in 1980, and also received the Jury Prize for documentary
at the Leipzig Film Festival. It was further chosen as one of the ten best films shown at the Sydney Film Festival in Australia.
The Maltese Double Cross won First Prize for documentary at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Francovich died on April 17, 1997, of natural causes. At
the time of his death, he was working on a short film on art collector and philanthropist Dominique de Menil (with the Centre
Pompidou), as well as an investigation of the Olof Palme assassination and several screenplays.
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises scripts, production notes, personal papers, and other types of materials related to the life and
work of Bay Area documentary filmmaker Allan Francovich (1941-1997).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Motion picture producers and directors--California--Berkeley
Documentary films--United States
Francovich, Allan
Francovich, Allan