The Assignment is a film that was created by the 2011/12 University of Manitoba Film Production Class, which originally started out as an academic exercise, but eventually turned into a much larger project.
“The film was created [ . . . ] at first as an exercise in getting to know how a film is made; that is, all the various processes that go into it,” says Andrew Eyer, one of the film’s creators. “At a certain point though, it was decided to push our ambitions higher than that and really go for something beyond just a learning process.”
The film is set at a fictional school named Trinity High School. A secret society within the student body, the Vigils, is enlisted by one of the teachers to convince their fellow pupils to sell overpriced chocolates as a fundraiser. One student, Jerry, the new guy at the school, refuses to sell the chocolates and, while attempting to change his mind, one of the Vigils, Obie, falls in love with him. As this secret romance progresses, Obie is forced to reevaluate her allegiance to the Vigils.
“I think everyone had their own different sources of inspiration, so the film became a large melting pot of various tastes,” stated Eyer.
The students who created, filmed, directed, and edited the movie—such as Eyer— have aspirations of entering the film into various film festivals. They are currently selling the film online in order to raise funds.
“We have an Indiegogo.com account where people can go and donate money to help us get the film into festivals,” said Eyer. “Our target goal is $2,000. Help us get the good name of the [U of M] out there!”
The film will be screened at the Elizabeth Dafoe Library Theatre from Dec. 10 – 14 at 12:30 p.m..
