Connection
(Pollyanna Harrison, 2026)
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Connection emerged from a place of nostalgia for my childhood and a looming fear of growing up. As I became increasingly surrounded by endless scrolling and urbanisation, amongst the pressures of adult life, I found myself longing for the freedom and naivety I associated with childhood and nature. The film became a way of exploring this tension between detachment felt in adulthood and the desire to reconnect with my inner child.
The process of making the film became just as meaningful as the final outcome. Drawing with crayons, cutting and sticking collage materials, and collecting leaves and flowers from the woods all reconnected me with memories of creating art and spending time in nature as a child. Through these tactile and playful processes, filmmaking became an act of rediscovery and comfort, allowing me to reconnect with experiences and feelings I feared I had outgrown.
This film was produced as part of the Experimental Production module.
SYNOPSIS
Connection is an experimental mixed-media film exploring technology-saturated adulthood compared to the freedom of childhood connection to nature. Combining hand-drawn animation, collage, projection, and found footage of home-videos, the film follows a journey from emotional numbness within urban life toward rediscovering childlike wonder and sensory play in the natural world.
As layered city imagery shifts into natural landscapes, animation physically interacts with live-action footage through tactile, purposely imperfect techniques - inspired by early celluloid cinema and childhood crafts. Through this handmade aesthetic and nostalgic perspective, Connection reflects on the ways in which art, memory, and nature can help reconnect us with our inner child within an increasingly technological world.
CREW
Pollyanna Harrison
Director
Director