Shank Trailer.mov

Date in the diary

February 2008 - July 2008

The Deal

A twelve-week film making project with 15 young ex offenders, resulting in a 25 minute improvised docu-drama about the vicious circle and consequences of criminal behaviour.

What's it About?

Fresh off the prison block and back on the streets, Brody is determined to set his life straight. Tired of the troubled streets he knows, he offers his time to assist a former youth justice worker with kids on the edge of the system.

But what begins as an opportunity to change someone else's life soon threatens to destroy his own. With long term girlfriend, Lisa, on one side of the savage gang leader Lewis hungry for blood on the other, Brody is caught between the path he wants to walk, and the streets he can't avoid.

Did it end up on the Cutting Room Floor?

Shank has had a lot of success; it won a North East and Border RTS Award; Best Award for Target Audience in 2008 and one of the participants went on to win a Young Achievers Award.

Shank has screened at the following festivals; Raindance Film Festival 2009, COMMFEST Global Community Film Festival, Toronto, 2009.

Why was it great?

Straight after Shank, some of the participants went on to work with BBC Blast to facilitate film making and MC workshops.

Say What?

We were amazed to hear that a number of the young actors in the film have never performed before as they were so natural and believable. In many cases the scenes were improvised which really adds to the strength of the production. The fact that local young ex-offenders were enlisted to help create the film makes it an ideal addition to our 'Meet the Future' season of programmes.

Samantha Ellington, content and acquisitions manager for the Community Channel.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Community
• Sunderland
• Knife
• crime

[DdotVDK]

were cn i c this film?