Poster released for upcoming BFI-funded stop-motion short ‘Two Black Boys in Paradise’
The poster for Two Black Boys in Paradise, a short film collaboration of Manchester’s One6th Animation Studio and poet Dean Atta, has been released in celebration of National Poetry Day.
The short, narrated by presenter and musician Jordan Stephens, tells the story of Edan and Dula’s love for each other and how their refusal to hide it lands them in a paradise free of shame and judgement. The short will aim to explore complex themes of homophobia and racism while utilising the depth and artistry synonymous with stop-motion.
Image: One6th Animation Studio
I’ve collaborated with several filmmakers to make short films from my poems, and I’ve learned a lot about visual storytelling along the way but working as an executive producer on TBBIP has been an experience unlike any other. I’ve worked with the team on the script and storyboards, given feedback on the animatic, picked Jordan Stephens to be our narrator and sat in meetings with our BFI creative executive Aoife Hayes. I’ve felt my voice has been heard and valued every step of the way and I’m so proud to be part of this team.
-Dean Atta
One6th studio has in the past collaborated with poets and writers to bring complex and provocative narratives to life. Most recently, their short Squib, an adaptation of the poem of the same name by Anthony Anaxagorou which tackled “the emotion of a claustrophobic journey through lockdown”, has won them multiple awards.
However in production, Two Black Boys in Paradise promises to be their most ambitious one yet. One6th’s co-founder Baz Sells takes the role of the film’s director while production is being managed by the studio’s other co-founder Ben Jackson.
For a studio such as ours, this film represents a significant step up in terms of technical ambition, budget and quality. As with every challenging project, there have of course been frustrating days, but we have always maintained love and passion for the project, and gratitude for the opportunity to bring Dean’s poem to screen. We look forward to sharing it with audiences, and hope it will move others as profoundly as it has us.
–Ben Jackson
The production is backed predominantly by the BFI Short Form Animation Fund, awarding National Lottery funding. A nationwide initiative, the competitive Fund offers ambitious animation filmmakers the chance to access a higher level of funding, which is rarely accessible to short-form productions.
We are extremely proud to have supported Dean Atta, Baz Sells, Ben Jackson and their teams in making Two Black Boys in Paradise. Marrying Dean’s bold and luminous writing with Baz’s extraordinary visual sensibility has produced magic in this beautiful, urgent and wholly distinctive film.
-Aoife Hayes, BFI Production and Development Executive
As well as the BFI, the short had also received the support of actors like Ian McKellen and the world-renowned production company, Partizan.
Baz and Ben have poured their hearts and souls into this project, you can see their passion in every shot of the film. Along with Dean Atta’s powerful poem – rich with complex themes, combine to make a project we all have felt privileged to be involved in and are now excited to see how the audience reacts.
-Duncan Gaman, Executive Producer at Partizan
To be in with a chance for you and a friend to attend a screening with Dean and the crew: Follow @One_6th on instagram, click on the TBBIP poster and tag someone in the comments who belongs in your own version of paradise.
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