The May issue of Staffordshire University's Newsletter features a report on the Quondam Premiere that took place at the University on March 31st.
UNIVERSITY HOSTS PREMIERE WHICH SHOWCASES LOCAL TALENT
May 2004
A NEW independent short film directed by award-winning graduate Andrew Davidson was premiered at the University.
Entitled Quondam, the drama was screened at the Film Theatre and showcased local talent.
Andrew, a Film, Television and Radio Studies graduate, was the winner of Best Video Production at the recent JVC Professional/Staffordshire University Student Video Awards for a final year student film he directed called Autumn Heart.
The Quondam project also involved fellow graduate Kevin Brett - principal photographer - and current university students who acted as crew members.
Ray Johnson, Professor of Film Heritage and Documentary, described the film as a "very powerful drama that is brilliantly acted and brilliantly made."
He added: "This film was produced and shot independently in Staffordshire and stars many local actors. It was privately funded without grants or public funds."
The film - starring Darren McAree, Hester Kent and Nigel Leonard - is about Jack, a man who has destroyed his life and lost all that is dear to him. Now dying, the ghosts of his past and his mistakes haunt Jack as he journeys toward redemption.
Quondam and a documentary about the making of the short film will be screened as part of the Stafford Film Festival. The screening will be held at the Beaconside campus on Thursday, October 7, and will be part of the 2004 JVC Professional/Staffordshire University Student Video Awards ceremony.
