The AFU’s annual screening took place on Wednesday last week, featuring thirteen new films by students aged 13-18.
As so often, the range of work on display was remarkable. As Mr Taylor remarked at the end, “watching the films back-to-back feels like going on a great voyage of exploration that leaves you in awe of the range of ideas and experiences our young filmmakers capture. Tonight, we’ve travelled from the peace and calm of Appleton and the woods above Hinksey to a storm-lashed Greek island and the terrifying realities of life in Israel and the Middle East at the moment. We’ve peered into the future with films on electric cars and plastic-eating enzymes, and been reminded of our ancient human gift – and need – for making things with our hands and cultivating gardens. We’ve heard about the different educational experiences of boys and girls, and looked at some of the ways in which mobile phones and social media can impact healthy relationships. The very first film to roll off the production line in May this year took us inside Jonjo O’Neill’s racing stables near Cheltenham, while one of the last to emerge took us inside the private world of a local care home. In a very real sense, you could say almost all of life is here.”
After thanking and congratulating all the filmmakers – Conrad, Josiah, Louis, Alex, Zach, Freddie, Alexander, Kayden, Carys, Hao, Arth, Josh and Justin – on their achievements, Mr Taylor presented two awards in honour of the AFU’s co-founder Michael Grigsby to Justin, for his film “Nation Unperceivable”, and to Arth and Josh for their film “Still”.
All in all, it was another AFU night to remember. All 13 films will shortly be available to view on the AFU’s dedicated Vimeo site. Watch this space for further news on that.
