Elim Christian College’s Year 11 Chinese Class took home the best creative award in the Chinese Short Film Contest, hosted by International Languages Exchanges and Pathways and New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association.
The short film ‘Hot dog Lovers’ directed by student Georgia Bilby and assisted by camera-woman Alison McWilliams, features a full-class cast with shared roles and efforts divided amongst the eager Mandarin-learning students.
The film in Mandarin has both English and Mandarin subtitles. The script involves a plot based on cliché and stereotypical love stories, with a twist… hot-dogs.
The creative take on a typical romance, it stars Year-11 students Musasiyashe Muodza and Jackson Taylor as main characters. Students of the class are tight-knit, with a love for learning the language and “having fun with all things Chinese,” says Year 11 student, Anusha Gaundor.
Teacher Karen Liu, who has taught Mandarin for more than 10 years at the college, gave students a free reign of the non-assessed project just before she went on a six-week’s leave and was very impressed with their efforts once she was back at school.
Mandarin is a compulsory subject in Year 9 at the school, with many students voluntarily continuing to pursue it further.
Prizegiving for the event will be held at the University of Auckland Epsom Campus this Friday, revealing all the winners of categories.
By Maxine Fourie
