Learning Fast

Film (Full Length) – 1980

This hour-long documentary chronicles the plight of school leavers trying to figure out their next move. Filmed over a two year period, it follows seven school leavers from Masterton's Mākoura College as they attempt to navigate the ins and outs of being an adult; finding work, shipping off to university, or facing pressures from parents to make the 'right decision', as they await their exam results. The students wrestle with the difference between earning a wage and being free — seeking the sweet spot of an ideal work and life balance. Learning Fast was one of director Gaylene Preston's earliest documentaries.

They are not problem kids, they are faced with real problems. They are coming out of school into a society which isn’t prepared or able to move over for them.
– Director/producer Gaylene Preston, The Evening Post, 2 October 1981