Football Beyond Borders Changes Young Lives with Spoken Word Project Poetry Short Films

Football Beyond Borders (FBB), the UK education charity that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are passionate about football but disengaged at school, expanded its ‘Beyond Bars’ spoken word project with the launch of a second film in the series called ‘Abi: Being Black & 6Teen’.

Launched during a period in which support for the most vulnerable young people in the UK has been lacking, Beyond Bars aims to bring to life the potential young people possess, and how, with the right support, they can flourish even during such challenging times.

It began with Zoom-hosted virtual writing workshops led by professional writers, spoken word artists and creatives for more than 60 young people. The participants, aged between 13 and 16, were asked to write personal poems based on their lives in lockdown.

The winners, chosen by a panel of judges including Roma central defender and former Man Utd star Chris Smalling, had their words turned into films.

Following on from the first film, ‘It Really Goes Deep’ written by and starring Yassin Slimani-Mendez (aged 14) comes a second short film by Abi Simms (aged 16).

‘Being Black and 6Teen’ is an intimate, vibrant and energetic portrait contrasting the hardship and beauty of the writer’s life told through a Brit-centric lens and focusing on lockdown. Created by agency Dark Horses and production house Caviar, the poetry/music video hybrid was directed by Lainey Richardson.

Dark Horses Creative Director Adam Burns said: “Our work with FBB during 2020 has aimed to put its young people at the heart, both in front of and behind the camera. The Beyond Bars project gave young people the chance to flex their creative passions and ultimately exposed them to brilliant creatives from Caviar. It’s these experiences that can really open their eyes to where their abilities can take them.”

“Abi’s poem brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it. So unique to Abi’s own experience, yet so powerful in its ability to articulate sentiments that I think a lot of people can relate to, it felt like such an important and relevant perspective to bring to screen,” commented Director Lainey Richardson.

“I got to know Abi over Zoom and drew inspiration from her life to come up with the creative vision. To me, from the outside looking in, this is not a story about the struggle, but a story about triumph, of Abi’s strength, courage and journey to becoming, so I wanted to shift the focus to themes of Black pride, Black joy, Black beauty, and Black excellence through intimate imagery depicting Abi’s life, and the juxtaposition of stunning still images from photographers who spotlight Black cultures and identities, that interrupt the screen and help build this narrative.”

Commenting on her film’s message, Simms herself said: “I want people to take from this film is the misconception of what it is to be black and what it is to be 16. I labelled a few stereotypes that we hear from a young age and just hoped people would understand what it really feels like.”

“In the midst of a global pandemic, 2020 was the year when a mirror reflected the state of play. New understandings emerged, none more so than some of the inequalities which continue to plague our society,” added FBB Co-Founder Jasper Kain. “Being a black teenager comes with lots of stereotypes and expectations that have to be navigated, and Abi’s poem expertly confronts this. It showcases her supreme talents and the changing face of modern Britain. It is part of a movement that is pioneering a new dawn in the creative industry. Talented young black creatives who are calling for a seat at the table to shape the society we want to live in.” he added.

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Links:

Football Beyond Borders

https://www.footballbeyondborders.org/

Dark Horses

https://www.darkhorses.com/