Ken Coldicutt interviewed by Wendy Lowenstein in the Communists and the Left in the arts and community oral history project [sound recording]

Coldicutt speaks of his scholarship to Melbourne University in the 1930s but found University life irrelevant in view of the coming war; left university and campaigned successfully against film censorship in the 1930s against imported films principally Soviet, Spanish and Chinese films; his work for the Spanish Relief Committee, organised film showing through Communist Party (CPA) branches prior to the War; his decision to join the Army despite CPA opposition to the war; how he ran Ralph Gibson's election campaign; becoming a pilot in the RAAF, snobbery and discrimination in the RAAF; his work as a teacher during and after the War; ignorance of the impact of politics and art in the CPA; bureaucrats and most members being ignorant of the arts and perceived only as a not so important way to attract new members to the Party; Realist Film Unit (RFA) and its destruction by the CPA following the 1949 Referendum; growth of the film festival movement; RFA in various states and its film material not published by the Guardian.