SCREEN TIME
STUDENTS OF HISTORY
The student team behind a new documentary tell Miriam Balanescu why they decided to make it all about Cambridge M ore often than not, stories of Cambridge are filtered through the hallowed university which sits at its Cambridge . “I set out to make a film about that history and about that effect.” The film’s unusual name is inspired seeing with fresh eyes
Here are our top picks of what to watch this month
by a historical enigma: scattered around Cambridge is an old university emblem bearing a lactating woman, under which is the inscription ‘Alma Mater Cantabrigia’ – ‘nourishing mother Cambridge’. However, rather than aiming purely to educate, the documentary leans into keeping the conversation open, weaving together interviews with individuals from every walk of life to delve into how the past holds sway over the present. “It isn’t really about history, but more about how we relate to history today –
centre. Books like E. M. Forster’s Maurice or films like The Theory of Everything paint a picture of sandy-coloured courtyards, crowded lecture halls and flocks of students decked out in gowns – which, though undeniably a component of what makes Cambridge tick, is perhaps not a complete portrait of daily life in the city. A less romantic portrayal – and one that actually takes an interest in the town, rather than the gown, side of Cambridge – is perhaps long overdue. But
THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER
Tilda Swinton doubles up for this chilling drama. Director Joanna Hogg explores our uncertain perception of reality. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 24 November
I set out to make a film about that history
how we romanticise and mythologise the past, and the effect this has on people in Cambridge now,” Rowan explains. “It’s also about the role of change in a university
interestingly, a group of unlikely candidates is among the first to train the camera on life beyond the university. Junior fellow Rowan Hall Maudslay and a
that values stasis and tradition.”
team of students from different colleges have joined forces to look at the history of Cambridge and the fenlands from the time of the Roman Empire right up to the modern day. “The tourist guidebooks sell Cambridge as a ‘historic town’, and I think prolonged exposure to that environment has an effect on people who live here,” says Rowan, director of Nourishing Mother
Rowan adds: “My dream would be that Nourishing Mother Cambridge defamiliarises people with Cambridge and makes them see the absurdity of how the modern world clashes with the past everywhere we look.” Cambridge is undeniably a supportive environment for these early-career filmmakers. Assistant director Miruna Tiberiu applied for a college grant from St Catharine’s and was rewarded with £1,300 towards the film. It’s given her the confidence to continue down a filmmaking path. Fresh from a screening at Cambridge Film Festival, the team are now working to share their film not just with Cambridge residents but audiences across the UK at film festivals and beyond. “I’ve directed a number of projects with the Cambridge Footlights, but Nourishing Mother Cambridge is my first documentary,” says Rowan. “I love that this medium makes it possible to share new ways of looking at the world around you, to bring narrative to the real world.”
The first Emperor of the French gets the biopic treatment from Ridley Scott, with Joaquin Phoenix as the man himself. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 22 November NAPOLEON
Justine Triet makes her return with a multilayered, formidably intelligent drama starring Sandra Hüller as a wife standing accused of her husband’s murder. Where to Watch: UK cinemas When: 10 November ANATOMY OF A FALL
LOOKING BACK The film delves into Cambridge’s past – and explores how we as individuals can make sense of what came before
22 NOVEMBER 2023 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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