Directed by Steve McQueen, an English born artist better known for winning the Turner Prize in 1999, Hunger is a debut that has already won two awards one of which was at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008.

The film is set in Maze prison, Northern Ireland just outside of Belfast in 1981 under Margaret Thatcher’s conservative rule.  It follows the life of Bobby Sands, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), played by Michael Fassbender, and his fellow in-mates as they protest to win political status.

The first scene introduces prison guard Raymond Lohan, played by Stuart Graham, as he prepares to go to work. We see him get dressed and eat breakfast watching slowly as breadcrumbs cascade onto his lap, it is these camera angles that give away McQueen’s artistic history. Later a wide long shot shows Graham’s character smoking a cigarette, the harsh stone wall he is leaning on contrasting the pure white snow that falls around him. It showcases McQueen’s meticulous attention to detail and his flair of combining art with film.

As the focus shifts to the prisoners we see the harsh treatment and living conditions they endure and we witness their resistance to the prison regime as ‘non-conforming’ prisoners. At this point I would like to point out it is not advisable to take in any snacks as walls smeared with feces and crawling with maggots is surely enough to put anyone off their toffee popcorn.

It is definitely a thought provoking film and has a way of dragging out the pain you see on screen with few cuts and minimal dialogue. However this can be tiedious at times with one scene in particular lasting over twenty minutes with the camera in the same position for the duration. Other than that it is a visually impressive film that will stay with you for long after you’ve left the cinema.

They attract hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, in hopes of raising money and awareness for their assigned charity. It takes months of organization and often costs its participants their social lives and sanity. So why is it that so many students choose to put on charity fashion shows?

March is an eventful month, it’s the official start of spring, a time when eating chocolate (in the shape of eggs) is mandatory and when flowers bloom once again. It is also when Barts and the London school of medicine and dentistry hold their annual fund raising event Shock Fashion Show.

This eight year long tradition is a medley of dancing, pouting and prancing set up, organized and performed by students in effort to raise money for the British Lung Foundation. Having raised £58,000 since they started in 2001 it is obvious they’re doing something right. 

This year the fashion show was held at Camden’s iconic KOKO where only days prior Katy Perry graced its stage. It was Barts and the London’s eighth fund raising event. The show was put together by the students themselves with the exception of some choreography in the form of MTV choreographer Gwen Jno Baptiste. Gwen along with the students kept the audience entertained with various dance routines to current and past belters. ‘Its raining men’ by the Weather Girls was a firm favourite and highlight of the show; the male dancers ripped their trousers off!

Originally the presenter of the show was supposed to be glamour model, Jody Marsh but after a last-minute drop out she was replaced by buxom bubbly non-celeb in a burlesque inspired outfit. Despite the minor set back the show ran smoothly with a mix of dances and catwalk shows and array of clothes donated from various designers, ranging from high street brands such as Jaeger, Ben Sherman and Uniqlo. The show also gave lesser known designers and boutiques a chance to showcase their finest with Nikita Sabilier, LuLu & Lush and Traffic People also lending a helping hand. The accompanying music was just as eclectic as the designers. Songs used were from different ends of the music spectrum including Britney Spears, Hot Chip, Goldfrapp, Wiley, MGMT and The Pussycat Dolls to name but a few.

From our view in the tiers it was clear to see the show was a success. If going by numbers alone- KOKO’s 1500 capacity venue was packed and filled with an appreciative enthusiastic crowd- whooping laughing and clapping throughout. The show combined art, fashion, music and humour whilst raising thousands of pounds for charity. Judging by the number of people at the after party still on the dance floor at 2am it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all.

We caught up with this year’s president of the show, fourth year medic Abena Achampong, to find out just what goes into the makings of a fashion show.

Why did you choose to put on a Fashion show to raise the money?

Abena: It’s something for all students to get involved in, it doesn’t single out singers or actors or dancers. It’s just a bunch of students putting on a show.

How long did it take to organize?

We’ve been organizing it since May last year. But rehearsals started just before Christmas.

What was the hardest part of putting on a show like this?

Mainly finance and official processes. Making sure we had enough money to put on the show and making show there was enough money to cover all our expenses.

What was the best part of putting on the Fashion show?

Obviously the end result! Coming out to a packed audience and knowing that they’ve had a good time all in the name of charity makes all the hard work worthwhile. I also got to work closely with other people that otherwise I wouldn’t have and we had a laugh (most of the time).

Why did you choose KOKO as a venue?

It’s an iconic venue. It has a beautiful interior and really has an heir of sophistication and decadence. It made a nice change from the student union!

How many people were involved in the show?

There were sixty-nine people in the show all together. There were forty-three models twenty-six dancers eight committee and eight sub committee members.

Would you be president of the BL RAG fashion show again?

I did enjoy but I don’t think I could do it again. I love being part of the show but being president was different. It’ll be nice to give someone else a chance and it’s good to have my life back!