How long is the shortest film ever made?

How long is the shortest film ever made?
最短的电影是多长时间？
International Film Festival
国际电影节

Yvonne:Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer¹ and this is '6 minute English' -and thanks to William Kremer for joining me today.
William: Hello – it's a pleasure!
Yvonne:For fifty-two years, the Times BFI - British Film Institute's London Film Festival has shown the best new films from around the world. And for the first time, the BFM International Film Festival has also been based at the BFI. William, do you know about the BFM Festival?
William:Umm – I know that it's the Black Film Makers²' International Film Festival.
Yvonne: That's right and to celebrate its tenth anniversary³, the emphasis⁴ of the 2008 BFM has been on films made by Black people -who are based here in Britain. Well, I was lucky enough to get an invitation to the BFM Shorts Awards - but before we find out which short film won the award and about the idea behind this festival – I've a question for you. Yes, are you ready William?
William: Yes.
Yvonne: How long is the shortest film that was ever made? Was it a) one second b) one minute OR c) five minutes
William: I'm gonna go for a) – one second because even though that sounds too short, sounds very silly（愚蠢的）, I think the silly answers are usually correct. That's my tactic（战略，策略） so I'm gonna go for one second.
Yvonne: ... And we'll find out whether William was right or wrong later on. Now in today's interview we'll come across the word 'stereotyped⁵（定型）'. William, what does it mean?
William: Well if someone is 'stereotyped', other people who don't know them have a very strong, fixed⁶ idea about how they will behave. They're 'stereotyped' perhaps because of the country they come from, or (from) the colour of their skin or their religion, for example.
Yvonne: And what are 'platforms for expression'?
William: 'Platforms for expression' in this case, refers to ways and places that artistic⁷ people can use to share their work and messages. So for example, a cinema screen or a novel are 'platforms for expression'.
Yvonne: Great! Now as we hear from Nadia Denton, the Director of the BFM International Film Festival, try to catch the verb she uses to mean 'highlight⁸' or 'to draw attention to'. I asked Nadia: why is there a separate section for Black film makers within the London Film Festival each year?

NADIA DENTON
Because it's important for us to showcase the stories of groups and communities which otherwise would go unnoticed, which don't get the correct representation⁹ in the mainstream¹⁰, who perhaps are stereotyped, who perhaps don't have many other platforms for expression.
Yvonne: William, which verb did Nadia use to mean 'to highlight' or 'to draw attention to'?
William: 'To showcase' – Nadia explained that it's important 'to showcase' the stories of communities and groups which we don't usually see or hear.
Yvonne: So the BFM Festival is a chance for people who are often stereotyped and not considered or noticed by mainstream cinema to have their work seen.
Now at the BFM Shorts Awards, we saw five new films and voted for the best one. And the winner was "Win, Lose or Draw" directed by Lawrence Coke. It was a wonderful blend(混合) of story-telling and interviews with Caribbean people who'd arrived in Britain from the 1950s, like my own father. And after the awards, Lawrence explained just how important making the film had been to him...

LAWRENCE COKE
The whole thing was a very cathartic¹¹（导泻的，释放的） experience on one level because, I always say that the young people of today don't understand that they're standing¹² on the shoulders of giants.
Yvonne: Making "Win, Lose or Draw" was very 'cathartic' for Lawrence – it allowed him to express some really deep emotions. But it was cathartic for many of us in the audience too – and educational.
William: And hopefully lots of young people will see the film because Lawrence sees it as a way to help them understand that they and their parents are an important part of Britain's history.
Yvonne: Yes – and Lawrence describes our grandparents and parents as 'giants'. Their lives were really difficult but they still tried to help England and make things easy for us and their families back in the Caribbean.

LAWRENCE COKE
They were children themselves and they came over to help the mother country because they felt it was the right thing to do – leaving children behind, wives, and… I just…I'm in awe¹³ of that.
William: Yes, they were an awesome- amazing group of young people.
Yvonne: They certainly were. My father travelled to England – at the time, known by Caribbean people as 'the mother country' – and he came here at the age of twenty-one. And like many others from the Caribbean, my father simply wanted to work hard and earn money. He wanted his parents to have what they needed and he especially wanted his younger brothers and sisters to go to school.
William: So education was really important to them.
Yvonne: Definitely¹⁴ because most of them left school and started work when they were fourteen years old. But now, it's time for you to educate us, William!
William: Surely not!
Yvonne: Yes! What was your answer to today's question: how long is the shortest film that was ever made?
William: I went for the silly one which was one second.
Yvonne: And you were correct to be silly because you were absolutely right! Anyway, that's all for today's "6 Minute English" from BBC Learning¹⁵ English. Join us again for more next time.
W/Y:  Goodbye!  (本文由在线英语听力室)

1 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

4 emphasis   

n.强调，重点，重要性

参考例句：

• The emphasis has shifted markedly in recent years.最近几年重点已经明显改变了。
• Particular emphasis will be placed on oral language training.将会特别强调口语训练。

5 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 highlight   

n.加亮区；v.加亮，强调；[计算机]醒目

参考例句：

• Her performance was the highlight of the show.她的表演是那场演出中最精彩的部分。
• The highlight of this term is the school trip to Austria.这学期最重要的活动就是去奥地利的校外旅行。

9 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

10 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

11 cathartic   

adj.宣泄情绪的；n.泻剂

参考例句：

• His laughter was cathartic,an animal yelp that brought tears to his eyes.他哈哈大笑以宣泄情绪，声音如野兽般尖厉，眼泪都笑出来了。
• The drug had a cathartic effect.这药有导泻的作用。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

14 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

15 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。