Hiraeth is the title of a new film by Sixth Former Lucy Collins. It looks at how the COVID-19 lockdown has affected us all.
You can watch the full film below then read on for an interview with the director herself.
Why did you make Hiraeth?
I wanted to create a piece of film that would reflect what I and all my peers were feeling at the start of lockdown. From there it developed into something bigger as I included elements that everyone would be feeling in lockdown. I started with writing a long poem about how I felt at the beginning and then I started to include various sayings that were being thrown around on social media and on the news, for example the frequent use of the word “furlough” or the idea that clapping for the NHS was wrong if you voted conservative. In all, I wanted to take the viewer on a bit of a rollercoaster, to reflect the feeling of being in lockdown, with the positives, the negatives, the things we lost and gained and the political commentary of it. I collated a lot of the material used in my film from listening to what my friends and family had to say. The quotes used in one section of the piece were all direct quotes that my friends had sent me. I wanted to do this to make sure I was reflecting what everyone was feeling best.
How did Burgess Hill Girls help you make the film?
The school has aided me a lot in my filmmaking endeavours. The art department specifically made sure that my interests were being heard and last year encouraged me along with the rest of the art class to create a piece of film that was exhibited in the Towner Gallery. This further motivated me to create more short films and since then I have produced a film about dementia for part of my art A Level. This was only made possible by Ms Levett and Mr Osborne who have helped me so much.
How has lockdown affected you personally?
As someone in Upper Sixth, the lockdown has been hard. Having gone through the school from Nursery, I’ve grown up seeing the various years of Upper Sixth have their Founders’ Day celebrations and Proms. At first it was difficult to come to terms with that not happening, even harder to come to terms with, was not actually sitting A Levels!
What’s next for you?
At the moment I’m enjoying the easing of lockdown and seeing more friends, I’m hoping to try and make the most of the summer before going to uni even if it is social distancing! I’m also celebrating my 18th birthday which is very different to how I planned it, to say the least! Providing results day goes well, I’m going to study history and politics at Edinburgh University. Whilst studying my degree I hope to make the most of what the Edinburgh fringe and all its creative possibilities hold and keep up my filmmaking. After university, I’m not too sure, I have quite an interest in humanitarian law and the opportunities of the legal world, however I’m equally interested in pursuing a career in film.