Hip Hop Opera

This film's been billed as an uncompromising look at how British inner city youths can be drawn into gun crime.


Don't Trigger has earned praise from bereaved families

Hip Hop Opera, in London and was created on a shoestring budget with a cast of largely unknown actors and musicians, has had an extraordinary journey to the big screen.

But what makes the project unique is the way it was supported all the way by nearly 100 bereaved parents who have lost loved ones to gun and knife crime.

It was the brainchild of producer Raymond Stevenson, who was looking for a way to bring together Brixton's musical and performance artists in one project. Gun crime was the obvious choice for a focus to the work.

"The major incident that sparked off the whole 'Don't Trigger' campaign was speaking to the mothers," says Raymond.

"One day last year, we decided we wanted to do a campaign and we went and met some mothers and they told us their stories. By the time they'd finished, everyone in the room was crying, including myself."

Making the concept of life and death real to the intended audience of teenagers took some thought. The crew decided on a blend of gritty hip hop music, real-life testimony from the bereaved mothers and a dramatised account based on the real-life experiences of the cast and crew.

"The sad thing is there are many young people out there who can get quickly seduced in 'the game'," said Raymond.

"One incident can happen to tip them over the edge, but before then you have to realise that these people are disillusioned anyway.

"The lead character in our film represents anyone in the urban communities who is on that balance. Life is not good for them. They don't have a job. The whole system has broken down around them - maybe a broken family.

"And then one situation, one piece of disrespect, one 'dissing' of that person can escalate, and before you know it, guns are involved."

Wilma Francis' son was shot dead late last year in an East London nightclub. Arian Julius Arthur was just 22. Wilma is right behind the film's central message.

"Every week, another mother has lost her son. Why? For what? It's got to stop. So I'm just hoping that when the film comes out, out of 10 people who carry a gun, even if just one of them sees the film and puts the gun away it will be worth it."

Although Hip Hop Opera has its premiere in Leicester Square, there's so far no distribution deal to screen the film across the UK.

But its producer believes it has a relevance far beyond its Brixton setting.

"It's not about Brixton. It's not about London. It's about the UK. It's the communities' film and we feel proud of the project," he explained.

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