Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago

The Camino, otherwise known as 'The Way of St. James', is an 80km spiritual trek from southern France to Santiago in north-west Spain. Lydia Smith's film, brought together the many characters that embark on such a journey. 

Particular favourites of mine were Tomas and his two new travelling partners, whose relationship reminded me a little of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Che Guevarra) and his biking cohort Alberto Granado. They are undoubtedly kind people but making fun of one another gets them through the hard times with more than a few laughs and it's nice to watch.

I also quite loved the family and the eventual couple of Misa and William. It showed our need for companionship, even if we did not set out with that as an aim. It was lovely to watch the story unfold. Even better that the other contributors interacted with this. It made it more communal. They all met one another, there should have been more of that I think.

There are others who perhaps aren't so likeable, Brazilian blonde Sam seems a little too quick to judge for a spiritual path and although the walk may change her, I don't think it achieved much more than a sarcastic jibe at her German neighbour and maybe a more open response to her fear of the future. Although her story of leaving everything behind in Rio is one of extreme faith in the Camino, I don't think it really added to the film.

I won't sit and describe all of the characters as I could be here all day. Perhaps we could have lost a few. For example, Jack & Wayne, although they reflect the diversity of age on the Camino, they didn't really bring much to the table. Nor did our Brazilian friend. I think with a little more time to follow the more entertaining contributors, the film could be made better. We might also have more of an emotional response when see their journey completed.

It is a charming look at the colourful characters that we encounter throughout our lives. It does also, restore a little faith in the viewer as well as the contributors, that the world isn't all that bad. For example, the German man who carried Annie's rucksack for the miles that she could not. The film captures the generosity of humanity and for that reason, is a little hard to dislike. There are some great examples of landscape cinematography and I would love to see a behind the scenes reel of how exactly the crew followed the contributors on their journey. It invokes a spirit within you for peace, for time alone, to find yourself. Something that at the moment, is extremely relevant to me. The film, could be better I think but that is not to say it is bad. I enjoyed the film and think I too could find peace in such an undertaking.

To find out more about the film, head to: http://caminodocumentary.org/ where there is loads of info about the making of the film and also where you can go to purchase the DVD when it's made available. If you're an escapist, I'd recommend it.

English 3.0

I\m going to attempt to encapsulate what English 3.0 set out to. I apologise if you do not understand. However, I assure you that any problems you have in reading this blogpost, were probably reflected in my trying to remember the adolescent abbreviations of Bebo and MSN messenger in writing it.

Here goes:

English 3.0 woz a fasinatin concept tht intrested me gr8ly n it cud b told in mny ways. I expectd a film of satirical fngers pointin in da direction of modrn society. Wat I gt woz sumfin mch less appealin... hinderd by da lak of cutaways n hinderd frther by da comon location of da existin cutaways, bein a quik hang out on da Southbank.

Thre woz no umph, no outspokn jdgements tht da concpt lends itslf 2. In fact, I don't tink tht thre woz any1 nrly mad enuf 4 da content 2 truly shine. It wudda bin gr8 4 a Luddite contributor 2 fundamentally beleev tht da internet is rottin r brains n dat no1 wil b able 2 read n write in 10 yrs. Insted, we wre introduced 2 a line of professors n experts tht ultimately shared exctly da sme view: yes, abbreviation of language exists bt its nt gonna ruin r lives. I tink my fave line of da film sez it all, 'I STOPPED usin abbreviations wen ma mum STARTED using em'.

It woz dull n cud easily ave bin told in 5-7mins ova its current 20. It needed cutaways, it nded jdgements, it nded da brightness turnd dwn a bit on da exterior shts an a bit o grafix wrk on da namestraps. I tink wiv da best of da current contributors, sum mre cutaways n da addition of an xtra contributor wiv sumfin jdgemental 2 say, da film cud b spiced up a bit. I'd b intrested 2 c wot cud apen wiv dis concept in da future as I tink its an argument dat many A-Level kids wil wanna debate wiv their Eng teachers. N Im sur dat sum of dem r lookin 2 throw in a few LOLs n BrBs 2 their summertime essays.

Wat do u tink? Has language gon 2 far? Do u knw wat da kids r talkin bout these days?

Gimme a tweet n tel me @katmace11 :D

Image Rights Reserved by Joe Gilbert

Love Me Tender

Love Me Tender follows three young guys who all for some reason or another find themselves in challenging situations. We meet Aidan who after being de-housed in London, caught a train to Hastings and took up refuge in a small woodland area within a caravan park. Then there's Gareth who, fresh out of jail, is adapting to life in his own flat. And finally, there's Gaz who is trying to stay in touch with his daughter after splitting from her mother.

https://sheffdocfest.com/

The problem I had with the film, is that you don't really have a chance to want to take the title into consideration. Gaz is too busy partying and telling us that he couldn't deal with the hormonal post-pregnant mother of his child for us to actually care about him. It gets slightly better with Gareth, although I would have liked time to explore his backstory further. He looked as though he was fighting a constant inner battle and I wanted to hear about it. 

With Aidan the NFTS filmmakers managed a little better, as he reveals his upbringing in care and how he had finally found a home but the foster mother was too busy considering care as a job, over actually loving him. We sympathise with him, more so than the others. But we are not allowed enough time to follow his journey through. We want to hear about why he could not get on in a real bed and why he chose to go back to being homeless. Perhaps a VoiceOver would help us to fill in the gaps?

It was a good effort. Director Tim Knight had the contributors to give a good story, they just don't quite get round to telling it during the 27min duration.

Dream

I didn't quite expect to find James Franco among the delights at Sheffield videotheque this year. None the less I came across a short piece that was certainly pleasing for the eye... And not because we see his torso.

Although only 1minute in duration, Franco's visual sculpture is only one single fluid shot - as is the nature of dreams. In dreams we venture seamlessly between worlds and images and this is reflected in the piece. 

I have to say that the final part could have been more pleasing to the eye, as the rest of the art direction was stunning, particularly the apple falling from the tree in the hallway. However, the green-screen keying and rotoscoping for the final shot was more than a little rough around the edges. 

It was an experiment though, and a pretty one at that. Applause for the art direction and skill in getting that one 60second shot choreographed brilliantly. As I'm sure anyone who has filmed anything will agree, it's not always an easy thing to do.

Inspirational People - One in a Million

This blogpost is about some people who have truly and deeply inspired me. They are normal people, like you and I. They were thrown into extraordinary circumstances and they survived; some through escape, some through rescue, some by chance. The people in this blogpost are now elderly people and I consider them friends. Their stories tell also, that they are holocaust survivors. Survivors who each represent one million people like themselves, who did not live to share their story.

Freddie Knoller

The first holocaust survivor I ever met, was back in 2011. His name is Freddie Knoller. He sat among 200 young people like myself who were taking part in the Holocaust Educational Trust's 'Lessons From Auschwitz' programme and told of his survival story, from his upbringing in Vienna, to fleeing through France and Belgium, from fighting in the French Resistance to his time in the Auschwitz 3 concentration camp. He is now 93yrs old and although his story is amazing, it is his strength and qualities that I admire most. For example, he is a fine cello player, stemming from his days as a cellist alongside brothers Otto, a pianist and Erich, a violinist. I was lucky enough to witness his cello playing first hand, with a rendition of 'God Save the Queen'... during an interview I filmed with him at his North London home last year. Not only that, but Freddie has style too, modelling some fine grey Converse All Stars beneath his suit... and safe to say that he hasn't lost his sense of humour either! He has a family, including two daughters and a grandson and his wish is that his grandson will know of his story. The words that stick out prominently in my mind from my interview with Freddie, is this 'I will never forgive the Nazis for what they have done, and I will never forget'. How could you forget? And yet here you are, sitting on a sofa opposite me and my camera telling me all of the painful details of your experience? Freddie, in my mind, is an exceedingly strong and passionate man with an affection for childlike humour that brings fire to his eyes and makes anyone feel welcome in his company. This I admire and I feel privileged to have heard his story first-hand. You can watch the film we made together here: https://vimeo.com/97562791

Ruth Barnett - www.wlv.ac.uk

The second holocaust survivor I ever met was in Jan 2012, after a speech I'd made at the Lord Merlyn-Rees Memorial Lecture at Portcullis House. Ruth Barnett is a wonderful character who you can always count on to ask challenging questions and put you, or the politician next to you, to the test. I was approached by many survivors at the event, who thanked me for speaking about my experiences on the Lessons From Auschwitz Programme and for sharing a poem I'd written with them. Ruth was the final survivor to approach me and what she said was this, 'Who are the most targeted communities in the modern day?' - I had not been ready for a question like this and I admitted heavily, 'I don't know'. She replied 'Well, I'll tell you. It's the Romani Gypsies'. Before this I had not heard of the Roma, but the fact that this seemed so important to Ruth led me home to Google, where I discovered a whole other dimension to the holocaust story. In Jan 2013, I formulated the plan for a documentary about the holocaust and it's relevance to examples of injustice and discrimination today. I have Ruth to thank for mentioning the Roma to me, as they are perhaps the best example within the film of pre-war rhetoric, making a return to modern day Europe. It astounds me that Ruth is so insistent on telling of others misfortune when her own story of leaving everything she knew behind, to escape on the Kindertransport in 1939, is so astonishing. Her book title 'Person of No Nationality', suggests a scarring journey of lost identity and confusion. I think Ruth is an absolute inspiration. Her passion for continuing to alert people of discrimination and to challenge us all to play a part in its prevention, is simply brilliant.

Zigi Shipper

Zigi Shipper was the third survivor I was privileged to meet. It was at King's College London at an event organised by Gameli Ladzekpo, a fellow Regional Ambassador for the Holocaust Educational Trust. I'd arranged to interview Zigi on camera after the event and here asked him questions about why it was so important for holocaust education to continue and for young people to learn about his story like so many others. His reply is always the same, 'they MUST learn about it. Why is it necessary to hate? I don't hate anybody. Hate will rip you apart.' I think it's pretty amazing that someone who was a victim of a regime like that of the Nazi's can turn around to a room filled with people and say he does not hate. He may not forgive his oppressors but not does he HATE them, and that to me, is something special. Zigi is one of the most committed survivors I have met. He has been at every event I've ever been to and his every week is filled with speaking in schools throughout the country. He is convinced that young people are the key to a better future and he speaks to us with such passion that we can't help but believe him. Whatever good comes out of the ambassador programme at HET, Zigi will without a doubt, have played a role in that success. His relentless commitment astounds me and I truly admire his 'get up and go' attitude. If you'd like to hear his testimony then please spare an hour to watch the video below:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynyxISzTJY8&list=UUZbiXR5VygbtcLisgQJ1b2g

Susan Pollack

Susan Pollack was the fourth survivor I had the pleasure to meet. I'd seen her in a short appeal film for the Holocaust educational trust and enquired about whether she would be interested in appearing in my film. I was so lucky that Susan agreed to partake as I feel that her testimony adds the emotive depth I really needed. She told her story so passionately, she allowed me and my crew into her home and would simply not allow us to leave without a cup of tea and some cake. Her kindness made me feel so welcome and as if we had been friends for years. Susan is someone I really admire and someone I place immense value on having the pleasure to have met. We write to each other on occasion, Susan pretty much remains the only person I physically write to. She is such a warm person to be around and every time I see her at an event she welcomes me with a smile. She too is passionate about holocaust education and is very often at every event I attend. Susan is one among a group of ladies who always make the effort to make an appearance. They help to make it feel like we are a part of a community and that is something I feel extremely privileged to consider myself a part of. You can watch the film we made together here: https://vimeo.com/97562791

Esther shared her story with the above Ambassadors

The fifth survivor I met in person was Esther Schlesinger during a visit with approximately 20 young people like myself, to Yad Vashem, Israel. Her story was unlike those we'd heard before in that she did not experience life in the camps but instead was taken from ghetto to gentile farm, from safe house to safe house. The story of he and her sister's survival is extraordinary. As she speaks she is extremely honest. She recalls one painfully vivid turn of events - One evening, the Nazis stormed the safe house she was staying in holding them at rifle point. Panic erupted, if people fell they were trampled on, they were running over dead people. Bodies fell, her aunt, her mother and herself fall injured. All dead bodies are loaded onto a truck, Esther among them. It begins to rain and the blood of others soaks through and rains on Esther's body, blood falling in her eyes. Esther remembers her aunt checking her pulse. As the driver took them to be dumped, he stopped at a pub for a drink on his way home. He parked the wagon and left. Then another Nazi uniform emerged and muttered, 'don't be afraid, I am taking you to Jewish ghetto, they'll take care of you'. He was Jewish. He reached into the bundle of bodies and pulled Esther out. She does not recall the pain that she felt that night, only the gentile voice of the man cradling her saying 'Little girl, don't die'. This is only one moment of her story and it left me speechless. Not only does she recall flawlessly the memories she posses but she refrains to comment on any other part of the holocaust story that she did not personally witness. I think this adds a huge amount of honesty to Esther's testimony and even more to her will to forget those moments of the past she would rather not remember and continue to rebuild her life now. 

Esther as a child (second from left)
“I had an incredible childhood, full of acceptance, joy and the knowledge that I was beloved and wanted. The memory of this feeling is what I have been trying all my life to recreate, and through it to dull the pain of being orphaned, and of the Holocaust.” http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/newsletter/13/new_yv2.pdf

I personally find Esther's dedication to recreate that feeling of being home, is one to marvel at. She tells of so many horrors that I admire her desire to just live her life in peace, among friends and family whilst  still being committed to telling her story, that will only ever be a painful one to recall. There was a moment where Esther could not tell her story herself and instead, asked one of our young ambassadors to read it out for her. This shows how vivid the pain is for Esther, and I thank her for her strength to share it with us.

Jack Kagan

The last survivor testimony I have heard in person, is that of Jack Kagan. Jack spoke to over 400 students, teachers and young ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust, at The Ambassador Conference 2014 (#AmCon2014). Jack's story was also different from those of the holocaust testimonies I was used to hearing. Jack was born in 1929 and lived in a small Polish village. In 1941 the village was occupied by the Nazis and at 12yrs old Jack moved into the ghetto before being moved to a labour camp. In 1943, Jack escaped the confines of the camp and fled towards the rumoured partisan camp. On his first attempt, he had to run across an icy river, where his foot fell through and his feet became frostbitten. He returned to the camp, where friends carried out the horrendous procedure of amputating his toes. Of course, there was no anaesthetic and Jack had nothing but the grinding of his own teeth to keep him from screaming too loud and alerting the Nazis. He then escaped again, in a tunnel beneath the camp, before hobbling in pain towards the forest where he finally joined the 'Bielski Partisans' as depicted in the film 'Defiance'. He describes an ethic of 'nothing is for free' as each partisan worked to keep the other alive. There were squabbles as partisans came from all backgrounds but ultimately, the community is the thing that saved them. Jack is the only surviving member of the Bielski Partisans in the UK. His story is one that truly inspired me. He described how survival became your only instinct and I find his strength, in extraordinary circumstances, to flee to the partisan camp awe-inspiring. I intend to find out more about Jack's story in his book 'We Stood Shoulder to Shoulder'.


And so, here exists a post about the six holocaust survivors who I have met in person and who have completely inspired me. In each of them, I find an incomprehensible strength and passion, not just for their survival of the past but in the continuance of their work to tell others of their experiences. It is these faces that I picture when I continue to learn about the holocaust. 6million Jews were murdered during the years of the holocaust, it could so easily have been Freddie, Ruth, Zigi, Susan, Esther or Jack among them. These 6 survivors, are the absolute proof that the victims are not just numbers among millions. Each of them, represents one million Jewish people, people who were like themselves, people who were friends and family members, people of all ages, from all across Europe. These six survivors represent the men, women and children, who perished during the holocaust. They were people, like you and me. They feel fear as we do. They have felt pain, as we have, albeit ours may not compare. They have families, as we do. Most of all, they love, as we do and have a belief in a future where the young people they have shared their stories with, will continue to learn from them and work to create a world where prejudice, segregation, persecution and most importantly genocide, will not and could not exist.

When People Die They Sing Songs

Regina Gluckman, is a holocaust survivor, but the film that tells us of her story is not our traditional holocaust testimony documentary. Instead it is about memory, about a mother and daughter and about music. In fact Regina seems quite happy to leave the past, in the past.

All Image Rights Reserved by Olga Lvoff

Regina's history began in Czechoslovakia where she was born into a family with three brothers. It is unclear what happened to them, although we are told that both her mother and father, along with her little brother,  all perished during the years of the holocaust. They had moved to Belgium in 1930 and Regina escaped only on the orders of her father to leave the country with her husband and never look back. She and him fled to Morocco in the hope they could be free but as Morocco was under French control, they were met at the border and placed in Sid Al Ayachi, not far from Casablanca, where daughter Sonia was born. The memories of the camp and of the conditions of work at an Algerian camp called Bou Arfa, finally pushed Regina's husband too far as he suffered a breakdown that saw his admittance to an asylum. Regina is the only living survivor of Sid Al Ayachi.

Image Rights Reserved by Olga Lvoff

Regina is now 93yrs old and her memory is beginning to fail her. She suffers from dementia and although she may seem extremely switched on when translating the many songs of her younger years, it is reflected in the seconds that follow that Regina's short term memory is almost non-existent as she exclaims, 'I must translate this song for you' and as her daughter answers, 'you just did mom'.

It is sad to watch a daughter giving her own mother permission to die. It seems however, that Regina is not quite ready to join her deceased relatives as she holds on to the life she lives with Sonia and onto the songs that seem to flow within her veins. She expresses both a love for life and for music as well as a deep fear of leaving her daughter behind. 

The film has much creative flare although I did feel that the visionary moments of the film weren't always necessary to reflect the soul of the piece. Although it could be argued that they achieved a portrayal of an inner release and freedom that came with Regina's musical therapy endeavours, that cutaways and interviews could perhaps not achieve so well.

Image Rights Reserved by Olga Lvoff

Having produced and directed my own film, featuring three inspirational holocaust survivors, I feel that Olga Lvoff's film wonderfully captured the spirit that I find many of them possess. The love of life and the fear of leaving everything behind, is still with them, as it is with us. Olga captures the personality of this nature perfectly and in a way that we do not judge as intrusive. It is a charmingly personal and inventive way of storytelling and one that steers us away from conventional holocaust testimonies. It is one that shows Regina as a person, as a mother, over being a survivor which makes it all the more, a film to cherish. 

Find out more about the film here: http://whenpeoplediefilm.com/about

If you are an industry delegate you can still login to the Sheffield Videotheque here: http://videotheque.sheffdocfest.com/

You can even get involved and share those songs that hold your most cherished memories of times past.  Perhaps there's one that your grandmother used to sing during the war, or one that your mother would sing to you as you fell asleep... whatever the story, Olga wants to hear it - and quite frankly so do I! http://whenpeoplediefilm.com/Sing-Your-Song-Tell-Your-Story

Image Rights Reserved by Olga Lvoff

8 Questions to Define You

I read online the other day that there are eight questions that when answered, can define you. I was intrigued and so I set out to answer them myself, having a felt a little lost lately. Here's the result...

Are you seriously going through with this?

What's your tennis ball? (What pulls you towards it, what are you chasing after)

What am I chasing, success I suppose like any other. More than that though, happiness. In all honesty though, right now, I'm chasing me. I'm being pulled towards finding myself again, as amongst all of the excitement of growing up and finding jobs and not knowing what the hell this council tax letter ACTUALLY means, I think I lost I bit of me somewhere.

For example, I don't usually read these things on the internet and actually try to implement the findings in my life but here I am writing a blog about some article that told me these eight questions could define me again. Well, I suppose I should start somewhere...

What am I doing when I feel most beautiful?

There are two answers to this. One answer is when I am travelling or exploring. I feel... freer and feel the twinkle come back to my eyes. Kamal often says he finds me most beautiful outdoors and it's because I feel free. Even in my bedroom there are walls to keep me in but by being outside, by walking through fields or staring across mountain tops knowing that I've climbed to the top to be able to see it... that to me is beauty and in turn, makes ME feel truly beautiful too (even if the rest of the world sees a sweaty, freckly mess!)

The second answer is when I am speaking passionately about something. As part of my role as Regional Ambassador for the Holocaust Educational Trust, it means I often find myself speaking in front of large groups of people - often quite important people too! When I'm on a mission to say something or get to the bottom of something, when my adrenaline allows my confidence to soar, I feel beautiful then. I'm in my element.

What is something you believe that almost no-one agrees with you on?

Cucumber should only be eaten with salt? No, not good enough...

I suppose, that history is there for us to learn from. It's easy to dismiss history as something of the past but unless we heed history's warnings and celebrate it's offering, we will only ever repeat the mistakes of those who lived before us. People agree with me but mostly, people just think that history is about a bunch of dead people, which it is. But we'll all be dead one day, wouldn't it be nice to think that people might care about us?

Hmm what else?

I know: that the world was once one massive piece of land. It makes me really passionate about the fact that wars between us, are all wars between our own people. It's not a concept that most of us will ever adopt, but it's true nevertheless! And I will not refrain from making people aware of that. Ok, so it's not going to bring about world peace in a day but I like the notion all the same. It makes me feel less lonely.

What are your superpowers, character traits?

Superpowers... I'm not sure about. If we're looking at character traits, then we should start at my complete inability to heed my own advice. Next, we should journey to my setting of ridiculously impossible tasks that only I would consider embarking upon. Perhaps then, we could stop at my failure to believe that anything is ever finished. In terms of character traits, my brain is my worst enemy. It means I think far too much at any given minute and leaves my emotions running wild all too often, although I'm not one for letting that show.

My Best Superhero Pose

I'm not sure what my superpowers are. Kamal always says he loves that I am open to anything, so I guess that might be one. I guess another is something my lecturer told my parents at my graduation last year, in that according to him I 'have a pretty high emotional intelligence when it comes to reading people'. That's not always necessarily a good thing, it can get a bit annoying too so superpower...perhaps not. But I guess in terms of all the other questions on this list, emotional intelligence is something that's certainly going to help me approach those sensitive subjects that I wish to when film-making and one that might go some way into revealing how to get my head back in the game. It's no superpower, but it's all I got. I guess I'm quite good at climbing too.

What did you enjoy doing at the age of 10?

Playing football and writing stories.
I think that moves some way towards proving the existence of a returning rift in my personality. Which one means more to me? Two years ago I told myself that I could make documentaries as a career and keep football as a hobby. I told myself it was a lot harder to do it the other way around. That was before I realised how much of my sanity lay in playing football and playing it well at that. I do sometimes think I could very easily work a normal day job in Sainsburys or Wetherspoons and live to play football with Maidenhead Ladies again. Although, having met all the people I have and realised also how much it means to me to have something to say about society through making films, I'm not so sure the decision is that easy.

Ten year old me is still in there. I want to runaway, explore, climb trees, laugh and pretend that I don't have rent to pay every month. My inner child is not completely suffocated... oh no! The weekend is just enough enough time to rejuvenate the youth and be a little reckless with adulthood. I just sometimes wish it could last a little longer.

What are you willing to try now?

Anything and everything - except weird seafood and skydiving. I've recently realised how much I thrive on new experiences, on change, on travel. Every time I travel I return revitalised and more knowledgeable about the world which in turn, drives my passion to make documentaries about all those things you come across along the way. For example, last year I went to Israel and amongst trying Falafel and rugelach and floating in the Dead Sea, I found a hugely differing outlook on politics. It seemed odd to me that somewhere with so much conflict could be so peaceful. Similarly it seemed odd that you never heard of the conflict, which made me feel a little more uneasy about how it seemed to sit so comfortably in the foundations of society. 

Back to willingness to try - I've tried recently to stop being so sensible with my money and allow myself a little time to have fun. For the three years I've lived in London, I have always worked, always saved and not really given myself the chance to truly enjoy the city. It made it hard for me to love London. London is a very lonely place when you don't allow yourself a fiver to get the tube to where things happen. Trying this new outlook has left me feeling a little more optimistic about life in the city. 

To try, is to learn. To learn, is to see. To see, is to show.
What will I try? I don't know, anything I guess... Try me?! 

Looking back on your career 20, 30 years from now what do you want to say you have accomplished?

Again, this is a hard one for me. After making a speech at City Hall earlier this year, I was approached by a Tory canvasser who told me I'd make a good politician. My instant response - an unexpected reflex - was to say 'never'. When asked why, I said without hesitation, because you can never keep your promises to everyone. You can't win.

The amazing Susan Pollack - Holocaust Survivor

I couldn't stop thinking about that for the whole journey home. It was as if something about my desire was released within me without me planning for it. I realised then that I wanted a career that would help people. I wanted a career that would help people say what they needed to say. That for me comes with factual film-making. The films I want to make will tell of wars and of inspiration and of the past and of the future, as my recent documentary attempted to do. I want to look back on my career and say I accomplished the making of a film that really made a difference to its contributors or to its audience. The feeling I got from speaking to the holocaust survivors for my doc 'After Auschwitz' truly inspired me and from that I learned that I want to accomplish the need within me to help tell someone else's story to the world, in the hope that it might just make it, just that little bit better.

What is your sentence? (One that sums you up, who you are and what you want to achieve)

I used to be good at this. Summing up a lot of information in one sentence but as you can tell from this blogpost, it's no longer a talent I maintain. Perhaps a philosophy will do. Someone else's sentence:

'Life is easier than you think...all you have to do is: accept the impossible, do without the indispensable, bear the intolerable and be able to smile at anything'

This is something I live by, not always intentionally. My aim is always to be able to smile again. It falters. I cry. I take a deep breath and tell myself to pull myself together.

We are stronger, bigger and better than we think and thinking, is almost always the problem. I think too much. For that reason I am going to heed my own advice for the first time in as long I can remember. I'm not going to think and I will admit defeat at this question... I don't have a sentence. Perhaps one day I will. But right now, I am 21 years old and my sentence is changing.

When in Rome...

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Waterloo East Theatre

Having seen at least 5 productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the last 4yrs, it felt like seeing it again was more than overkill. However, Waterloo East Theatre hosted a fresh take on the story, setting it deep within the walls of Broadmoor, offering up Oberon & Titania's fairies as in-patients partaking in arts therapy.

Fascinatingly enough, the basis is true. In the 1960s the RSC themselves visited Broadmoor to offer patients a chance to watch and take part in plays that would attempt to enrich the mind. 'A hospital wide collaborative enterprise was activated. It involved staff and called for advice and practical help from many patients'.

The version from London Voice & Motion stayed true to the original pentameter of Shakespeare, although I'm not convinced that Oberon, played by Samuel Jimah, did it justice. His accent made him quite hard to follow and although I gather from the cast that he has come on leaps and bounds from the first rehearsal where he struggled with the Shakespearean language, he was unfortunately still the weak link among the cast.

As for the lovers, well, Joanne Moroun as Hermia was fantastic. She had energy and stage presence that drew you to her on every entrance. Helena also gave a performance that represented the least pathetic version of the character I have seen thus far, and that's quite a feat for someone who claims to be Demetrius' loyal spaniel. Testament to Charis Beyer that I did not find Helena's character as annoying as I do normally. Derek Aidoo's Demetrius was as good as any other Demetrius I have seen...the lads are left a little dry in terms of character development I'm afraid, so through no fault of his own, more the lacking of Shakespeare's hand to write anything particularly compelling, the performance was average. Joe Gallina's portrayal of Lysander? Well, I'm a little biased here as he was the reason we went to see the play in the first place. However, for a guy I've only ever heard about on the rugby field, he gave an almighty charming performance to some otherwise embarrassingly cheesy loved-up lines, as well as providing some much needed muscle to break up the feisty fists of Hermia as she quarrels with Helena.

The Set

Megan Palfreyman as Titania was another strong performance, particularly her seductive techniques and daggered stare that was directed at the fairies who distracted her lover's attention. She was strong and another character I would have liked to have seen more of. Bottom was portrayed as an egotistical tyrant and I'm not quite sure whether the fact he frustrated me so much was down to talent in doing so or whether actor Roy Ryan himself had an ego to match. The accents seemed a little pointless to his part, although I have to say that his interpretation of the role 'player' at least gave us a giggle.

The fairies of Cobweb and Mustardseed were particularly brilliant in portraying the mental instability of the patients of Broadmoor - Cobweb (Krisztina Losonci) staring intently and smiling excitedly at the sign of violence and death in the tale of Pyramus & Thisbe. Mustardseed (Linda Nagajeva) instead portrayed the childlike emotions jumping from extreme excitement and happiness to wide-eyed fits of frenzy at the death of Pyramus. Particularly as the action centre stage was hidden from my view, I was drawn to the performances of both of these two characters specifically - they maintained their characterisation brilliantly well throughout both acts of the performance. 

Leo Sene - Puck

Puck, well where would MSND be without our mischievous little sprite? At first, I wondered how they would portray a wheelchair bound Puck, however, as he quickly took on his physical form we were treated to a comedy performance worthy of bigger stages. Leo Sene's movement was brilliant and his comical understanding of the bard's works, really quite something. Particularly well timed was the travelling through the woods in which he used the set well and the exclamation of 'yayyyyy' whilst being held in Oberon's arms. Similarly comical and well-timed too, was the performance of Reece Skinner as Flute/Thisbe. His facial expressions were animated and his vocal performance only added to the entertainment.

Overall it was not a performance that wowed but one that instead brought simplicity and creativity to a play I have seen far too often of late. Although the performance of Pyramus and Thisbe played upon gags I have seen time and time again, the production's fresh take on the setting and the comic expertise from Puck made it a joy.

Here was a taster of what we got to see: https://vimeo.com/98458164

400 Words

This 10min short was a little confusing. What began as a discussion about a wedding video became a debate about dowries and tradition, amidst a bite to eat, BBM and an iPad. It almost seems odd that the couple discuss the limitations of their religions and yet have such freedom to integrate with the modern world with technology and idle chit-chat.

That wasn't the confusing part. The synopsis says that whilst filming the wedding video the discussion goes array. And yet, on camera they are discussing how they will film their wedding video...when I thought it was already happening...seriously the camera's right here guys, over here!!!


It was a little unclear as to which part of this short film was staged and exactly what it was trying to say. An eye-opener to the world of dowries and marriage but it definitely would have benefitted from a backstory and some clarity.

Image Rights Reserved by Ismail Basbeth

Your Views

As a concept I stumbled across something quite cool at Sheffield DocFest this year. Imagine a film where people across the world capture themselves opening their curtains/blinds/shutters to the world outside. In all the countries of the world, poor, rich, hot, cold... It sounds beautiful right?

The 2min 47sec taster at Sheffield proved that although as a film it may not be an inspiring concept, nor the most engaging one but also that I could not help but imagine a mosaic of all of these shots on a huge screen, showing the moment that they all open their curtains to the view before them. That, would be a sight to behold.

http://yourviewsfilm.com/

If ever there was ever a symbol of togetherness, collaboration and a celebration of difference, I wouldn't deny this being it. The concept, created by 1997 Turner prize winner Gillian Wearing, is making its way around the world and you can be a part of it too.



You can submit the view from YOUR window at the website! Go on! I will be!
Visit: http://yourviewsfilm.com/

Be With Me

'Be With Me' was almost what I'd expected it to be. The 44min film tells of how mother Lori Cairns raises her son JR who is diagnosed with autism at the age of two and told he will be institutionalised by adulthood. Lori, determined to prove the doctors wrong, implements an experimental educational regime to ensure that her son avoids the fate set before him.


Through her own sister's admission, it was not a regime anyone could have implemented. Hiding the toys that JR would become transfixed on, kicking his cars out of their ordered parallel and telling him that his tendencies are weird, it's almost cruel. When we meet JR as a teenager he seems like any normal boy. Whether this is down to his mother's techniques, the intense insights and efforts of the therapists that worked with him, his sister's support or the transition through puberty, who knows?

I can't fault the film on many counts although at times it did feel a little invasive. Although Lori and her friends seemed so willing to tell of their success, JR was less enthused and by the time we face the family sitting down to watch old home videos of JR as a child, we feel a little uncomfortable. It's as though he is ashamed and his mother does nothing to deny it. Instead she jumps at the chance to tell him how much work she put in to helping him. Instead she toasts the therapists that worked with him. Not once does she express that she feels proud of him or any gratitude that he exists as part of her life. As an executive producer of the film, it's quite apparent that Lori's film was always supposed to be about the therapy that JR went through but similarly, it became very much about her.

I'm sure she is a loving mother, how else would she have kept up with the process of potty training and private sessions and enforcing lessons every day? The film just did not portray this side of her and therefore left us feeling a little bitter and uncomfortable, as though we have intruded.

I loved the reconstructions to support the recollections of the contributors. Without these I think the film would have suffered but they were filmed and implemented well and the film was better for it.

I suppose that my criticism is that for a film that talks about JR and his upbringing, there wasn't nearly enough insight from him. It was a film about his mother and of course, her longing for him to truly 'be with her'. This made it hard for us to recognise where our loyalties and admiration should be placed and where the story was headed. With JR's reaction to witnessing his childhood, the ending leaves us a little underwhelmed at the lack of positive insight towards him directly from his mother. The lack of an interview with JR almost prevents us from finding closure in the completion of the film and you never really get to see for yourself, the results of his upbringing. It would be nice to know what happens next as he ventures into the world of college and independence.

Overall, a great insight into how educational methods and understanding have transformed within 16yrs and an inspiring story, even if it leaves us a little underwhelmed/dissatisfied.

IMAGE RIGHTS RESERVED BY MICHAEL TERRILL

Arka

100yrs ago on the 28th June 1914, the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, leading to the outbreak of a war that destroyed the lives of millions.

On this day in 2014, about 200 people gathered together in Woolwich Artillery Square to watch a fiery performance that stood to tell the story of all those whose homes were destroyed and who ventured to new places to escape destruction.

Visually, the performance was all I had hoped for. The burning window frames from bombed houses gliding through the audience so close you could feel the intense heat on your skin. The set raising anchor and sailing around the people parted by its bough. The war mongerers breathing fire above your heads and banging metallic sheets that rang through your ears. The set design was stunning and the experience was an intense one, made greater by the musical accompaniment that failed only once on playback.

Granted that the symbolic nature of the story made it hard to follow but luckily my GCSE history knowledge paid off. From the celebrations of a Polish wedding, to the destruction of their homes, to the fighting men, the voyage across the see and the liberation that came with the escape to freedom.

I leave you with some images and videos of the performance, to mark the centenary of the assassination of WW1.

Polish Wedding Celebrations

The War Begins

Houses Burning to the Ground

Escaping the Country

Tamara W

Very rarely do I turn off a programme once I've started watching it. Tamara W was the exception to my rule.

The opening is initially intriguing, filmed in black and white but it takes us at least 40secs to actually see our contributor for the first time. Instead, we are given arty cutaways of benches and trees that at first may offer an insight into a possible meaning or moral within the story. However, there's only so many times you can stare at shots of a bench before you disengage. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that all beautifully shot, the cutaways had no meaning at all and that the choice to saturate the film was more to do with applying an easy grade over colouring the piece properly. 

It didn't help that Tamara wasn't particularly endearing or expressive. Being the only contributor, you need her to be emotive, expressive and interesting, particularly in voice. She isn't. She has a story to tell but filmmaker Marko Vuorinen, does very little to help her tell it in any meaningful way. 

Here's the trailer: 

It is in essence, a transgender escort dancing and talking over abstract cutaways of objects and cityscapes - for 53mins. All I can say is thank god for the skip button. 

I'm sure that Tamara has a story worth telling, but the filmmaker just didn't give her the stepping stones she needed to make the story compelling for an audience. Therefore it's probably the first time I haven't stuck around to find out. Better luck next time? Maybe a shorter version is the way forward.