The Future of Cinema: Emily Henderson
When she first opened the door to the Quaker Campus (QC) office, Emily Henderson was not looking to be Editor-in-Chief.
She was looking for a job.
That, and a little bit of experience.
“There’s a lot of hard work with this job, yada, yada. It’s very fun, it’s very rewarding,” Henderson jokes. She reclines in her seat, her legs criss-crossed up on her desk. If Henderson is not home updating her Letterboxd account, or smartly contributing to conversations in her English and Film classes, you can find her here.
On her office door, surrounding a sign that reads, “Editorial Chief,” are various polaroids of her friends. Below is a complex diagram of the Francis Ford Coppola Family Tree.
The QC office competes for the title of Henderson’s second home. And it might just well be. The worn, off-brown couch that sits at the front of the office occupied the Henderson’s living room for many, many years. And next to it, there is a shelf which Henderson stacks snacks and necessities every once in a while.
Henderson first joined the QC as a Copy Editor in 2022, still in the bookends of COVID-19 quarantine, as a second-year. After writing her first news piece, she was promoted to Assistant News Editor. The next year, she became the News Editor as well as Deputy Editor of the entire paper.
In addition to being EIC of the QC, Henderson was also EIC of the College’s award-winning literary and arts journal, The Greenleaf Review in her third year. Currently, she is President of Media Council, and to top it off, Vice President of the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta. And there was a time where Henderson was Interim President of Video Production Studio as well.
But Henderson laughs it off, when questioned about her achievements. In regards to whether she ever envisioned herself in these leadership positions, she boldly claims, “I don’t even envision it now!”
Despite her role as EIC, it is easy to see Henderson come to life when she talks about media, whether it be shows, cartoons, or films. Henderson refers to a motif she is quite fond of: “I like redeemability. I don’t know what the fuck that says about me. Everyone has to be kind of a shitty human. When everyone is happy-go-lucky — that’s not real.” Which is why Wes Anderson’s coming-of-age comedy Rushmore is one of her favorite films. She aligns herself with the development of the main character: schoolboy Max Fischer. Henderson laughs, “I sucked as a freshman.”
Sifting through her Letterboxd reviews is like peering into her soul. She reads out her top four highly rated films on Letterboxd. They are as follows: Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie (1979), Wes Anderson’s Rushmore (1998), and Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood (2007). “Insane list,” she acknowledges and throws her hands up.
In addition to watching, writing has become an integral part of Henderson’s life, cultivated through what she deems as “continuously writing.” Creativity, to Henderson, is not a pastime, but a way of life. “I love the idea that I can express myself through a barrier. I’m not good [at] talking to people in a lot of ways, but I’m good at sitting down and thinking over something.”
The recent recipient of the Miss Margo Latif Award speaks in anecdotes. “I’m never not writing.” Henderson, of course, is referring to her English major, and role at the QC, where she also served as Features and Co-Arts & Entertainment Editor, a section she has grown a fondness for. But when it comes to writing, Henderson is not eager to pursue News journalism, or Features.
“I like Arts and Entertainment journalism, I like film criticism. It makes sense to me,” she replies.
This comes as a surprise, given Henderson is always the first one to raise her hand in class settings. “I like the idea that I am able to express [my feelings] not directly,” Henderson continues. “I like doing it through another thing, because it makes it more tangible to me.” Last semester, Henderson fashioned a screenplay, titled One Lonesome Night for her late night screenwriting class. Henderson also earned Outstanding Achievement in English at the 2024 Honors Convocation.
But the curtain on Henderson’s time at Whittier College is slowly closing in.
Speaking about her experience at the College she states, “I’ve learned [things]. Not just academia wise, I’ve learned so much more about the things that I love, and kind of how the world works and different ways to view the world.”
In regards to what exactly Henderson has learned, that is “time management” and to “ask for forgiveness” instead of “permission.”
Closing the door at her time at Whittier, Henderson’s advice to fellow college students, reflecting on her own experience, is to “join things that interest you. Get involved, it’s the best thing that can happen.”
But Henderson is sure of one thing, she wants to channel her creativity into her work; something she has done for the QC and for herself. “There’s a lot of different avenues I can go down. And I’ve been thinking about those avenues,” Henderson thinks. “Trigger warning: I like journalism.”
Perhaps, Henderson wants to pursue film criticism, or make her own literary magazine. She even describes her experience on a film set as, “So cool!” No matter what comes next or what she does, Emily Henderson will always be doing something, and when she does, she will put everything she has into it.
Photo Courtesy of Sage Amdahl / Quaker Campus
