Apple Gatherers
Apple Gatherers is the loneliness and dissatisfaction in a labour-intensive world and the brief reprieve we have in moments of real human connection. The moment is fleeting, yet powerful - at the same time, it can be interpreted as the single strand that binds us to our drudgery.
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Danielle Rhoda Addae-BoatengDirector
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Tyler FrechWriter
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Tejaswin EwingWriter
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Toyosi FuwaProducer
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Kinga ŁotyszKey Cast"The Peeler"
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Tabie Addae-BoatengKey Cast"The Shoveller"
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Tom MossKey Cast"Tannoy Voice"
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Project Type:Animation
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Genres:Satire, Social Issues, Political Issues
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Runtime:8 minutes 31 seconds
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Completion Date:February 7, 2025
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Production Budget:6,550 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1:85
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - National Film and Television School
Danielle is an established freelance animator and illustrator, originally from Poland but based in the UK. Having been commissioned by The Guardian, The New York Times, CNN and the BBC, amongst others, she is known for her varied mark-making and often analogue approach to image creation. She takes pride in visualising complex and abstract feelings in a sensitive way. She embarked on the MA journey at the National Film and Television School to experiment with filmmaking and expand her leadership and collaborative skills. ‘Apple Gatherers’ is her introduction into live-action and theatre-like performance, both of which she is excited to explore beyond the school.
https://www.instagram.com/danielle_rhoda/
https://daniellerhoda.co.uk
We're living in times where the internet and social media created a false feeling of connection but is a driving force behind us feeling more lonely and disconnected. We've become desensitised and less empathetic towards the human condition.
The idea for Apple Gatherers came from an encounter with a painting by Sir Stanley Spencer under the same name. It portrays a group of workers in an orchard, and whilst surrounded by nature, their distant looks show total disengagement with their surroundings. This prompted various talks of burn-out, depression and the state of today's workforce. We concluded that lack of time to connect with other human beings, in turn, makes us feel less human. Besides being the most symbolic fruit, apples hold a special place in my heart and have been featured in my previous work. Growing up in Poland I remember their distinctive smell in my great-grandma's kitchen as she hung them out to dry for compote. This memory triggered a nostalgic exploration of Polish folk music which in turn became the main inspiration for our work song.
Apple Gatherers is a poetic and textural journey and I hope it will engage the audience with a story that many of us can recognise within one another.