A talented student at Plymouth College of Art has had her short film selected for a prestigious international programme.
Yergalem Carimini, a BA (Hons) Film & Screen Arts student, made the film, entitled ’La Volpe’ – which means ‘The Fox’ – under lockdown conditions in her home country of Italy. The work was filmed in a set built in her family’s home and featured a cast of her family members.
The four-minute film shows a character in a world where people work in a single job for the rest of their lives, following a narrative loosely based on the tragic events linked to the Taiwanese electrical company Foxconn.
Yergalem said:
“During my first year I was told about Foxconn, a company that made electronic parts for iPhones, and how in the early 2000s, there were some concerns about the working environment there.
“There were incidents of employee suicides and their solution was to install nets to protect the buildings and the lives of those who fell. It really struck me. I originally wanted my idea to be in the form of an art installation, playing with ideas of being confined to a room and exploring the exploitation aspect.
“Obviously, COVID happened so I ended up flying home to Italy. It was my tutors who suggested that I turn my idea into a film, but I really didn’t know how I was going to do it. I knew I had to create a narrative instead.
“I presented the script to my friends, and it turned out they loved it and wanted to help, which made me so happy! I realised I didn’t need much to actually film it. The exterior shots were just down the road from my house. I told my Dad he was going to act in it, he didn’t think he could do it at first, but three days later and he’s saying he’s the next big thing! It was all done on a very low budget.”
Her film has been selected as part of the National Association for Higher Education in Moving Image (NAHEMI) programme, with her work being shown at the Encounters Film Festival 2020.
NAHEMI acts as a forum for debate on all matters regarding the teaching of practice in the Moving Image in Higher Education, including the theory and history underpinning these practices. Every year, the association showcases a selection of students’ productions at national festivals such as Aesthetica Short Film Festival and Encounters Film Festival.
Yergalem’s film joined other student short films from universities and educational institutions across the UK at the Encounters Film Festival, which was delivered digitally in September and October 2020.
Yergalim, who lives in Efford, said:
“I’m really enjoying the Film & Screen Arts course at Plymouth College of Art. It’s great for people like me, who want to learn about the practical aspects of filming.
“It sounds childish but it was so pleasing to have the opportunity to play! Some universities I looked at, it felt like they assumed students would know how to use the equipment, but I wanted to learn it all! Every year, we get to do lots of collaborative projects, with the freedom to work with people from other courses. It’s such a great way to challenge yourself.
“The course doesn’t just teach us how to make film, but allows us to explore what we enjoy, so we can set ourselves up for our future careers in the film industry. I had to choose Plymouth College of Art because of that.”
