The 9th April 2019

On the 9th of April 2019, the House Film Festival screening took place with many excited students and staff gathering at the theatre, eagerly waiting to view the short films produced by the four houses (Gandhi, Mandela, Pankhurst, Teresa).

The four production teams were given a phrase: “You mean they never told you the tale?”, that had to be mentioned in their produced films. The four representative production teams had different approaches to crafting out their storylines and various themes they wanted to portray.

Gandhi used a comical approach to feature Mr Kerslake and his dear Athoc, while Mandela emphasised the theme of positivity – using hilarious counter examples of negativity (Laziness, Depression, Internet dependence). Pankhurst then showcased the academic pressures of students and the theme of elitism/discrimination versus acceptance and grit between the fictitious best A class and worst F class. Lastly, Teresa conveyed the message of love of friendship and frank interviews with students of the house, wrapping the film up with important messages to love and believe in oneself.

Personally, I favoured Teresa’s house film the most (totally not personal bias!), because it reflected many struggles and problems that teenagers like me go through every day. Such as, being heavily pressured by others to excel in a particular area or not having the freedom to pursue one’s own true passion to name a couple. However, I strongly believe in the messages brought to the audience. The quotes of “You are you” and “Don’t doubt yourself, you’re trusted appreciated and loved.” were particularly impactful to me. We should all have the courage to explore and fail, but to never lose hope because we have the support from our family and friends. I felt that the encouraging messages, the support and the care in the film resonated well with the Teresa ethos, as well as the wider Concord community.

Overall, the production team and cast of the various houses put in a tremendous amount of effort in crafting to acting to filming and eventually producing these wonderful short films.

Although the screening lasted for less than an hour, we all thoroughly appreciated the effort put in and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Randall – 6.1

 

 

House Film Festival 2019

Tonight’s House ‘Filmfest’ had the theatre brimming with students all eager to be entertained. Little did we know we were about to experience so much more. All four houses were instructed to include the line ‘Have you not heard of the tale…’ A line that Mr Rawlison proudly proclaimed to be quintessential to all good movies. Along with a peculiar instruction to all include the same neon coloured beanie.

The night kicked off with Gandhi’s Film titled ‘Athoc’. A hilarious ‘horror’ of the last student to not download ‘Athoc’ and is taught a lesson by a masked entity whose true identity was a shock to us all. By the end of the film, the theatre was left in hysterics with students buckling down in laughter. A tough act to follow considering the positive physical response received from the audience.

Luckily, Mandela’s Film titled ‘La Positivitè’ had us back on our seats, eyes peeled to the screen. Not a surprise as we were treated with ravishing shots of the College that left us thinking ‘Do I really go to school here?’. The film follows the quirky misadventures of the ‘Serious Pessimist Committee’ who, with the help of the ‘Dummies Guide to Positivity’ quickly turn into the ‘Positivity Flashmob’.

The competition was tough. But Pankhurst rose to the challenge with their mystery film where the audience was transported to an alternate universe where your existence and identity is defined by your grades. Following the tale of a Concord student who drops from ‘Class A’ to ‘Class F’ and witnesses his newfound Class F friend disappear without a trace. The cliff-hanger left us on the edge of our seats. Dying to know exactly what happened to our missing character?

Thankfully, Teresa House pacified our gnawing curiosity with their touching slice-of-life film on friendship and the future. We were brought into the world of Naomi and Theo. Naomi faced with the uncertainty of the future consults her friend Theo whom in response films the ‘House Film’ dedicated to Naomi, with the help of his gang. The ‘House film’ featured the opinions of teachers and students about the ‘future’ and their experiences with uncertainty. It almost felt as if Theo had made the film for all of us, who, just like Naomi, cannot help but worry over our future. Needless to say our last and final film of the night left us ‘Awwing’ away from the warm fuzzy feelings.

House Filmfest might be a competition. But most importantly it is a window. A window into the ‘tales’ of Concord Students albeit fictional ones. A window into the rarely seen superb acting and videography talent at Concord. A window into solutions for problems we face as students. No matter who snags the House Film trophy. Hopefully, the laughs, lessons and almost-tears in front of the screen will act as a testament to the hard work spent behind the scenes.

Rachel – 6.1