Short Film - "New Boy"

Link to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdeioVndUhs

This short film was written and produced by Steph Green and tells the story of a young African boys conversion to an Irish school after his father was shot and killed right in front of the boys eyes. 


The young boy, who's name is Joseph is introduced to the new class and immediately is a target of school yard bullying. The short film cuts between scenes of the present tense in which Joseph is at his new school and scenes of the past tense where Joseph is being taught amongst other boys similar to himself. The resources in the African school are kept scare compared to the vast amounts of books and stationary presented in the Irish school. Certain aspects of what happens to Joseph in his present life cause flashbacks of similar events in his previous life through a retrospective view. The two different scenes are represented through the obvious change in scenery as well as the use of different lighting. The Irish school is lit very clearly and brightly, emphasising the colours and the use of electrical lighting in the school unlike the African school which owns a warm type feel to the lighting which has been used to emphasise that the school uses only natural lighting, an effect of the poverty apparent in Africa. Joseph quickly finds himself at the full attention of his new teacher when a fellow classmate teases him, causing him to react somewhat violently. From this we can assume that Joseph has had to learn to protect himself from others, of which we find the reason for later in the short film. 


One of the most cinematic and intellectual scenes in the short film is when the topic of his father (also his teacher) is being approached. Their relationship is presented as a loving and friendly bond between father and son. Men, presumably from the army-type force suddenly enter into the classroom, taking no notice of Joseph. They forcefully order his father out into the open and Joseph worriedly follows. The camera closes in on his face and a voice-over sounds "You're dead" (words previously spoken by the boy Joseph had acted out on in his class) before sounds of gunshots are heard and Joseph closes his eyes. The scene then quickly integrates with his present life at his school where Joseph is hit with a milk carton by the school bullies. The gunshots can them be mistaken for the sound of the milk carton hitting the wall, which softens the impact of the gunshots but also makes the situation more dramatic as we do not see his father being shot. 


The end of the short film see's a happy ending for Joseph as he waits in the corridor with the other boys involved in his attack. The film ends on light-hearted humour as the boys are seen laughing and joking with each other at the expense of the teacher. The camera remains in the corridor outside the classroom to which the teacher's voice echoes through the halls shouting "now..."




Details   (taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1095191/)


Country: Ireland
Language: English (original)


Release Dates:
Ireland               14 July 2007                   (Galway Film Fleadh)
Albania              29 November 2007            (Tirana International Film Festival)
UK                     1 December 2007             (Foyle Film Festival)
Germany            12 February 2008              (Berlin International Film Festival)
USA                      April 2008                     (Tribeca Film Festival)
UK                    19 April 2008                    (Belfast Film Festival)
Japan                24 June 2008                   (Refugee Film Festival)
Denmark            19 September 2008          (Copenhagen International Film Festival)
Mexico              27 February 2009


Budget: 74,000 Euros (estimated)