Open letter to Penny Woolcock, Claire Bosworth, Allan Niblo, Blast Films, Channel 4, the UK Film Council, and all involved with

To:

Blast Films – One Day Ltd
2 Imperial Works
Perren Street
London, NW5 3ED, UK
T +44 (0)20 7267 4260
www.blastfilms.co.uk

Dear the people “responsible” for the film 1Day

I am not one of these people to complain about a film before I have seen it, (for that matter I’m not really someone to complain about films at all!), so in this letter I can only really talk about the trailer and not the whole film.

I have just seen the trailer for your new feature film 1Day, and felt utter disappointment and the shallowness and exploitation of what I saw.  The trailer is a cynical attempt to capitalise on the problem of the UK’s black gang culture and the spiral of violence that we are seeing in our papers every day.  Judging by the reaction of the comments so far on your trailer on youtube, it looks like you will succeed in making lots of money from the blood of the inner cities.

I may be wrong of course, and I hope I am.  This film may be a clever Trojan horse, designed to look like it is glamorising violence amongst black youth in the trailer, to actually revealing a strong message in the actual film. I hope so, but somehow I doubt it.  I won’t be paying to find out. 

I do believe that films should be allowed to entertain, and that films should not preach.  Only boring films preach.   But filmmakers also have a responsibility to be conscious of what they unleashing into the communities that are suffering from the same problems they are presenting as entertainment.  At the very least, should not such an entertainment film  also look to further the debate of what the problem actually is, thus striving at some level of originality, and not mere cliché? (As I say, I hope you prove me wrong, and that your film is original and not a stereotypical cliché!)

Your film’s publicity makes a big deal that it has been “entirely street cast”.  I would like to know more about that. 

How much of a say did the “street” actors get in shaping the script?

Was the script ‘workshopped’, or did you have it already written and you just went and cast for actors from inner city communities? 

Did you listen to their advice on what messages the film should convey? 

Did you challenge any of the authenticity of any of the bravado, hype and myth they may have shown you, in trying to impress you with their “gangsta” tales? 

What responsibility did you show back to the communities that you were drawing from?

Will the film screenings be accompanied by discussions, workshops, guns & knife crime awareness events of any kind?

What was your deep down motivation for making this film, and have you succeeded?

I am all for creative freedom and freedom of choice, and don’t believe in censorship or banning films or anything like that.  I do however believe in the responsibility of the artists in being aware of what they do, over and above the motivation of finance.  There is also a moral obligation, especially when the subjects you are dealing with affects real young lives,  to be aware how your work will be contribute to the world in which it is promoted and received.  (I notice your publicity machine is also promoting free downloadable mix tapes to promote your film.  Notice all this power at your fingertips…)  Challenging work can stimulate debate and all those things, and that is fine, but the artists also bears some responsibility in not just washing their hands like Pontius Pilate claiming to be impartial.  The artist must be brave enough to take responsibility to see what affect their work has on real lives.

There are always huge circular debates about whether films such as yours will have a negative impact on the way young people act.  The same debates can be seen about gangsta rap, the influence of the music of Marilyn Manson and other such acts, Internet porn and its impacts on misogyny, fashion & celebrity culture and how young women view themselves, etc, etc, etc.  Of course there are no simple answers to these debates, and I don’t actually believe that young audiences (black or otherwise) are as gullible or as sheep-like as critics would suggest.  There is however a sharp question to ask all of those in the dock, who find yourselves defending your work from the accusation of corrupting society.

Is your work looking to provide an original perspective on the underlying stories to try and understand these problems better, or is it simply entertainment adding to the stereotypes we see in the news every day with no pretence of intellectual critique?

Or to put it very simply, on an issue that kills hundreds of UK black youth every year that you have chosen to make money from, are you a part of the problem or part of the solution?

I shall watch what happens with your film with interest, and I just hope you prove me wrong.  I look forward to your responses to what I have asked you here, and what I have accused you of.

Yours sincerely,

Shawn Sobers

Senior Lecturer & Researcher – University of the West of England
Director – Firstborn Creatives
Council member – Community Media Association