Emma French 20 in 2020

Finalist
Credits
  • Tauira / Student
    Emma French
  • Kaiako / Lecturers
    Katie Kerr, Tatiana Tavares
Description:

"20 in 2020" is a short film that gives insight into the mind of a 20-year-old. The film encourages young people to focus on their happiness. It creates meaningful discussions about finding your identity, being unsure of the future, and the fake reality of social media. While finding out who we are and our place in this world as a 20-year-old, there is a growing expectation for young people to act a certain way. The project contains unscripted interviews, with each person revealing their thoughts and feelings about being 20 years old.

As creatives, we have the opportunity to make meaningful and engaging work that can have a real impact on people's lives. The film "20 in 2020" investigates what life is like as a twenty-year-old in today’s uncertain world. The outcome is to bring comfort and unity to young people as they navigate through their struggles, which although uncommonly talked about, do not belong to them only. With a balance of advice, vulnerability and humour, the film normalises imperfection in young people and encourages self-love and fulfilment.

The work of Stefan Hunt has inspired this project. Hunt always works from the heart, creating films that highlight the normality of feelings of judgement, disappointment and the unknown. He uses his creative talents to generate meaningful discussions. His videos are never cliché but always authentic, I believe that is why his films are so successful and have helped so many people.

I decided to film only people who were 20 in the year 2020. It’s been a crazy year for everyone, definitely one to remember. Not many people can say they were 20 in 2020. It's not only a clever play on words, but also an idea I relate to personally, as I am 20 years old. It is the first year out of teenagehood, bringing up all sorts of different expectations, anxieties and opinions, these are interesting topics to reveal through a film. I also wanted the short to embrace diversity, and portray 20-year-olds, in the widest sense possible.

The film has an underlying message as it sheds light on different thoughts and opinion, to broaden audience self-identification and empathy. The balance between sincerity and humour allows the viewer to feel at ease when watching, it keeps the film light-hearted but still delivers an important message. The 5 interviews are all between 1.5–2 minutes long, keeping the viewer captivated, in each section, there is new music, location, person, and a different tone of voice. If the film makes at least one person feel better about their day, it’s a success in my eyes. The whole point of this project is to put something out into the community that affects someone positively, whether it gives motivation, comfort, or just makes someone smile.