By Nick Yates, ISB Communications
From Miley Cyrus to Art Basel Hong Kong to symphony orchestras, stars of the arts world are turning online for an audience during the shutdown effects of Covid-19. There have been internet gigs, virtual art fairs, and socially distanced choirs as the pandemic has made events in the flesh impossible.
Of course, the International School of Beijing (ISB) is in on the act! The Elementary, Middle, and High Schools have each given artists and performers online stages, and you can catch some of the most impressive of the lot with the links in this article.
It’s at this time of year that ISB’s most senior artists and moviemakers, students who have studied for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Art and Film programs, get to show off the work set to secure them top grades from examiners. After two years pursuing the IB, many of these students are destined for prestigious university arts courses and careers on the canvas and the big screen.
You can catch IB Art students’ masterpieces online now. Their annual exhibition on campus was not possible, but they created website portfolios. Click on the following students’ names to view a selection of their work and explanations of how it was put together, shared with their permission: Emily D, Hilary L, Kirsty G, Maisy L, David D.
The IB Film Premiere Night is an ISB tradition that rolls out the red carpet for Grade 12 IB Film students. The event shares their final IB films and brings the community together. Last week, these premieres took place online, via Zoom. For each film screened, the cast and crew provided an introduction and a Q&A for the audience of more than 100 that logged in.
Watch this video for a recap of Film Premiere Night. The video has some PG-level content so parental discretion is advised for young children.
Some of the IB Film students’ impressive shorts can be viewed with the following links. Thanks to our junior Zhang Yimous for their permission to share their work. Again, parental discretion is advised for this PG content.
Before I Go by Ellen Y, Jessie C, Kan Y, and Lachlan O
Drifters by Ethan W, Ryan H, and Michael C
With Him in Mind by Talia M, Julie C, and Tina Z
“I’m delighted that we had the opportunity to celebrate the work of the senior IB Film students with the extended ISB community,” said High School film teacher Dave O’Reilly. “The collaborative ‘Final’ film is a challenging assessment in an average year, never mind when a pandemic splits the production teams across continents while mid-production! I’m tremendously proud of the collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, and resilience that this group demonstrated.”