You Get Me?
Lozells, 2005
My first documentary, Beauty Queens (2006), was a community activism project that retold the events leading to the Lozells race riots of 2005. The riots, sparked by a rumor of a sexual assault, led to the largest investigation in the history of West Midlands police, over 500 arrests, and three deaths. As a Brummie/Black Country native, I had never witnessed such lawlessness. The situation was overlooked by the national press, but it spoke to the questions I was asking about my own identity.
Out of Beauty Queens emerged the concept for You Get Me?, a magic realist film that follows three characters with their own troubles as the heat intensifies across town. This film is supported by the BFI and BBC Films, and being readied for production.
