By Arron Kennon, Film & TV Editor
3rd December saw InFilm hold their screening of a selection of student films which came out of this term's short film challenge. Hosted at Strange Brew, alongside the films the night boasted live DJ's, a bar tab which was used up in what seemed like record time, dashing suits and dazzling dresses.
The culmination of months of dedication, hard work, and sheer creativity produced a night of palpably feverish energy, which, naturally, only increased as the drinks continued to flow.
The night was kicked off with the absurdist tale Orange Assessment. A humorous, surreal short film steeped in orange-based horror which packed a philosophical punch in its surprisingly profound ending. The idea behind the film was based on a real question asked at an Oxford University admissions interview on the amount of times it is possible to split an orange.
This was followed by Leftovers, a heartfelt meditation on monotony and loneliness which took the viewer through the iconic ASS, a drunken party, and culminating in a touching meeting with the eponymous leftovers, and then Grieved, an emotive account of addiction and how it can destroy lives and families. The metamorphosis of the forest location from a setting of familiarity, to monkish creeps and finally overwhelming disarray, was a particular highpoint.
After a 15 minute break to allow everyone to get a quick refill, the night resumed with Unfinished, a story about a tortured artist whose work grows increasingly dark in light of a bereavement. A noticeable cheer from the crowd was elicited by their brief inclusion of Radiohead's 'Weird Fishes'.
The final two films from the challenge were Parallel Planes, a gory take on the stress of examinations and the danger in being consumed by them which succeeded in reminding me of how lucky I am not to be doing a STEM subject, and A Date With Death, an unsettling tale detailing the exploits of a young women who takes home her inebriated dates only for them to find themselves on her surgical table rather than in her bed. It also featured the nights second reference to Radiohead, as her first date used the band to try and assert his cultural superiority. In doing so, the motivation for this man-murdering tale became apparent...
The night put full focus on the remarkable breadth of talent that exists within the University and acted as a testament to InFilm society for being able to stimulate such impressive creative endeavours.
If you would like to watch the films, they can be found on InFilm's youtube.
Featured Image: Joe Pinner // @pinnpix
Cast and Crew
Unfinished: Crew - Anouk Griffiths, Malachy East, Lara Molony, Julia Jeziorny, Madalena Larkin, Poppy Atkinson; Cast - Keir Churchill, Fraser McAdden, Poppy Atkinson, Natalia Hancock.
Orange Assessment: Crew - Jacob Held, Rowan Watts, James Rispoli, Yotam Livni, Tan G Kik, Eloise Pickavance, Gianpaolomore Morelli-Thompson; Cast - Rowan Watts, Martin Macoll, Louis Anscombe, Adam Mohammad Hilmi.
Leftovers: Crew - Sophie Virgin-Elliston, Isaac Smith, Louisa Crouch, Scarlett Amini, Vita Pestman-Mackintosh, Eve Campbell; Cast - Gisele Stigi, Jamie Kirwan.
Grieved: Crew - Simona Lordanova, Luke Osborne, Harry Buchan, Marcus Darivas Sanchez, Nathaniel Paisley, Charlie Darnall, Draga Raycheva, Katie Armour, Mette Rutter, Joe Porter, Jenna Baker, Dareen Shaheen; Cast - Harry Buchan, Katie Armour, Mette Rutter, Luke Osborne.
A Date with Death: Crew - Harry Hudson, Peter Zheng, Aitana Bustindui, Eidann Coles, Louis Loraine, Ed Lane; Cast - Uma Loxley, Angus Fenton, Theo Ball.
Parallel Planes: Cast and Crew - Vishal Chavan, Hassan Hassan, Adam Henrick, Ha Lam Nguyen, Charlotte Wenman, Joshua Woodland, Hanbin Yang.
