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Radharc Trust spotlights student film-makers again
ACT 2. TAKE 1. ACTION!
The filmmaking pupils of Patrickswell NS have done it again. For the second time they have carried off the Radharc Trust's 2009
best documentary award for young filmmakers, producing yet another short documentary "in the Radharc tradition".
First time out, school principal Ciaran Crowe explained this week, the children produced a film they called "Sneakers" which dealt with child labour.
"It went on to be shown in competition in Greece in an European Children's Film Festival."
But their success also meant they were "contracted" to make at least
three other films and at last month's Freshfilm Festival in Limerick, they produced the goods again with Spotlight on a buzzword: Poverty.
Researched, written, presented, filmed and edited by the brightest bunch of chatty, confident fifth and sixth class pupils you could wish to meet, the five short minutes of Poverty packs a powerful punch.
What is poverty? they asked - and they filmed people around Patrickswell
for their replies. People who have no jobs, who have no hope of work, people who don't have enough food, who are homeless or who are addicts, came the replies.
But the children then go on to ask: "Do we ever think poverty might be our fault?" And in a series of imaginative examples, they demonstrate how the biggest share of the world's wealth - 80 per cent - is commandeered by 20 per cent of the world's population.
They conclude that in denying a fair share, we, the rich of the first world are "poor neighbours, poor friends" and are poor in
spirit.
"A fair share can heal the world", their film says as it ends.
"It was hard to put it together," said Poppy Hill, a fifth class pupil who was a very confident presenter in the document, explaining that they had to do a number of rewrites to get the words right. They had filmed the entire documentary, she confided, but because Mr Crowe had put in a cleaning tape by accident, "we had to do it all again."
However, she added with a big beam: "It was better the second time." And all Mr Crowe could do was smile back.
Her class-mate Lauren Frawley added that they had written essays "to get
ideas". And, as a result of the film, she said: "We started noticing it (poverty] a bit more."
Fr Seamus Devitt, chaplain to St Clements, gets a credit in the film.
He spoke to the children about world poverty and gave them ideas about how they could demonstrate the facts in a visual manner. "I liked those parts best," Shane Mulcahy, sixth class said. "It showed what poverty really is."
Cara Chu, sixth class, who was the questioning reporter in the film, said she was nervous initially about her role. But, she said of her interviewees' answers: "I though they were informative."
The concept of a fair share very evidently hit the right note for the
young filmmakers. "Everyone should get a fair share," said Stephanie Anderson who was involved in props and in some of the editing.
And yes, they would like their film to be seen - and taken notice of by others.
As Lauren Frawley explained, giving money to a charity would only last a day. Changing things, so that everyone gets a fair share, would, they all agreed, make a big difference.
And, of course, they're right.
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