Easy Pink  (2007)

The talent starts young these days. Sixteen year old Adam came to us with a script idea and a desire to make a film drama. We guided a group of students from City and Islington College through the whole film production process; from storyboarding to casting actors, the students plotted a tale based on the grim reality involved in drug-dealing in Kings Cross. Giving up a week of their own time to shoot the film, the students also edited their work. Co-produced with City and Islington College.

Screened at The Cross Kings.

12 x 6  (2003)

12 x 6 are the confines of a prison cell. This is where 7000 Londoners sleep every night. HMP Pentonville houses 1200 prisoners, more than twice the capacity it was built for. Every year official reports on Pentonville detail a filthy, rat and roach infested jail, where even a prisoner’s basic requirements cannot be guaranteed.

Rarely do we see or hear what life’s really like on the inside from the prisoners themselves. Innercity moved into the art-room for a month, and worked with ten of these frustrated artists. With a view to exploring the concepts of confinement and incarceration, we asked inmates to build a 12 x 6 foot cardboard cell and recreate within that space their experiences of life inside. The men planned and produced a ten minute film/art installation in which we learn that at least, for Her Majesty’s Pleasure, the prison gets cleaned for royal visits.

Screened at the Raindance Film Festival (2003).

Mad House  (2004)

The Factory Youth Centre in Hackney is set in an area that rates at the top of all polls of social disadvantage. Funded by The Cripplegate Foundation, which provides opportunities to make a real difference to the lives of local residents, Innercity was able to provide regular film workshops to a group of 5-10 year olds.

We asked the students to pick an issue of concern in their lives to explore through the mediums of animation and film; and following the topic of crime, they created and storyboarded a tale of a house getting burgled in which even Grandma’s fry-up gets stolen. It is these insights that we gain through working so closely with people, that demonstrate the reality of life for many in deprived areas.

Screened at The Factory Youth Centre.

Cheat  (2004)

At a film workshop in Holmleigh School in Hackney, students were given the opportunity to script, cast and film a story which tells the tale of the pressures youngsters face in inner cities, particularly within the school system; the stress of exams, going to a new school, leaving close friends, family conflicts and separation.

The medium of filmic story crafting and telling teaches young people film production skills, and allows them to voice their fears and anxieties indirectly without exposing themselves as the ones with the problems. It also offers a platform for often ignored opinions to voice solutions.

Screened at Holmleigh School, Hackney.