Shank press pack

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PRESS PACK

PRESENTS

WWW.SHANKTHEFILM.COM


From the distributor that brought you KiDULTHOOD

Starring:

Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas, Michael Socha (Summer, Soft), Kaya Scodelario (Skins), Colin Salmon (Die Another Day)

and Robbie Gee (Hush)

Released Nationwide on 26th March 2010

For further information, interview requests and screenings please contact:

Monica Macasieb [email protected]: 020 7243 4300

Running time: 90mins

Certificate: TBC

www.shankthefilm.comwww.revolvergroup.com

When I was first approached by the producers of the movie with a view to collaborating, I thought “How can the Damilola Taylor Trust work with a film called SHANK? Watching the film for the first time I realised that you can’t always judge a film by its title because the film actually has a strong moral compass. The lead character Kedar represents so many kids today who have lost someone close to them through knife crime and have to decide whether to forgive or live their life hating and wanting revenge.”

Gary Trowsdale – Managing DirectorDAMILOLA TAYLOR TRUST


SHANK takes a futuristic look at what life could be like for Britain’s disenfranchised youth if the recession continues and teenagers in urban areas are driven further and further to the edges of society. In a world where food is scarce and where rival gangs are driven to extremes as they battle it out for survival.

“SHANK takes a satirical look at what life could be like if the government continue to ignore the issues affecting young people today, forcing the next generation to live in a concrete jungle with no real hope. It also shows young people in a different light, just because a kid is in a gang and wearing a hoodie it does not automatically mean he is violent and will “SHANK” you.”- Mo Ali, DIRECTOR

Shot entirely on location in South London, the film was brought to the screen through the directing talents of Mo Ali, one of the most exciting directors to come out of the British urban music scene.

Featuring hot UK music artist Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas in his first feature role, Michael Socha (This is England, The Unloved), Kaya Scodelario (Skins), Colin Salmon (Die Another Day) and Robbie Gee (Hush), SHANK is an adrenaline-fuelled look at the way we could be in 2015, and the first must-see film of 2010. Prepare yourself for a shocking and gripping ride into a world of violence and chaos.

Set to an explosive Grime and UK Hip Hop Soundtrack, SHANK is the first film of its kind to combine animation, computer graphics and live action.


ShankologyIf you want to roll with the crew you have to learn the lingo to

be safe on the streets of London in 2015

• Bare – To have a lot of something • Bang – Sex • Blud – A friend • Bore – To stab with a sharp object • Brushed – To get badly beaten up • Choong – Good-looking girl• Crepes – Trainers • Endz – Your territory, zone, area • Fam – Used to describe close friends that you can trust dearly and consider as family • Gash – A vagina • Hustlin – Doing something that allows you to get money to make a living. • Eejat – Idiot • Man dem – Group of friends. • Murked – To hurt, humiliate or kill someone in a ruthless manner • Munchies – food• P’s/Paper chaser – Paper means money – p’s is the short way of saying it. A paper chaser is someone who is always hustling, and looking for ways to make money. • Shook – Scared, afraid • Shank – To stab someone, a knife or home-made knife • Sket – Short for sketell. A girl who is a slut • Slipping – Not maintaining the standard of something. Not being on point, being lazy or caught off-guard • Snitch – Someone who tells people your business when they should really keep their big mouth shut • Sticky – Trouble or tricky situation • Wasteman – Someone who’s a loser, lazy or stupid and doing nothing with their life


Short Synopsis In London 2015 the gap between rich and poor has grown to epic proportions, the police have given up hope, the government doesn’t care and gangs have taken over. Food is scare and “munchies” have replaced drugs and guns as a priceless commodity.

Junior (Kedar Williams-Stirling) and his gang the Paper Chaserz; are the only gang to follow a non-violent ethos. However, a tip off about a food delivery leads to conflict with a rival gang and the death of one of their own. Now Junior has to decide whether to stay true to his principles or lead his gang on a quest for revenge.

“My name is Junior and I live in the squalor. London, 2015, roads gone to shit. Gangs taken over, shottas rule the blocks, streets proper sticky. If you ain’t one of us, you’re a victim, so gotta stay sharp these days, and know heads. You don’t see guns or drugs on roads no more, munchies taken over. That’s what mans need,

that’s what mans want.

So that’s how I make my living, selling munchies. Me, my mandem the Paper Chaserz, and our pitbull Dutty who keep his eye out, ‘cos roads physical these days, no long ting. This is my story, about me, my brother, our gang, and a bad man named Tugz. How I gotta decide, take revenge, or escape. ‘Cos some

days you wake up and know it could be you getting killed today. Then some days you wake up and think - today it could be me doing the killing. When you living in the squalor, sometimes you just gotta look for the beauty.”

VS


Long Synopsis Junior (Kedar Williams-Stirling) makes his way slowly through the run down council estate oblivious to the dirt and mess around him. His voice explains that in the ruins of this London, he and his brother Rager (Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas) lead the Paper Chaserz – a gang dedicated solely to the pursuit of survival through stealing ‘munchies’, the hottest commodity on the street.

Junior and Rager distribute the rest of the cash to the other Paper Chaserz, Kickz (Adam Deacon), Craze (Michael Socha) and Sweet Boy (Jan Uddin). A tip off leads to better news of another job for them – one truck, two guards with sticks but lots of food. It looks like a great haul. The guys get their weapons together – more for show than violence. Violence and territory disputes are against the Paper Chaserz’ ethos, until the siege leads to the death of one of their own. Meanwhile the girl gang, made up of Ree Ree (Jennie Jacques), Tasha (Kaya Scodelario) and Lexy (Rheanne Murphy) have their own score to settle after Tasha was held down and marked by the same gang that killed one of the Paper Chaserz.

After a chance meeting, the girl gang and the Paper Chaserz are sexually and mentally united over a bottle of tequila and join together in their quest for revenge.


Junior

“Streets proper sticky deez days. London. Every day - you know - it could be you getting killed. Still. I wake up and know - it could be me today. Dis is how we live. So you gotta be prepared. Gotta be good yoot, gotta know heads - and get good plans.

Violence, only way to get heard deez days. Children hustlin. Children killin. Step on dem toes, you gettin bora’d, gettin shanked.

Childhood. That died a long time ago. Most us yungas - our parents, they children too. We ain’t never gonna get proper rich. We slumsters, stick to the squalor. No way out no more. Plain and simple.

Fuckin pigs (police). Never done nuffink for me and fam. Nuffink but hypin to us, brushin us. Don’t support our community. Man, fuck da support! Dem rich folk, they bought community support. Government mans sold it all up. So we can’t touch dem no more. Slumsters stick to dem slums and the rich keep to their bubble. Government mans don’t direct funds no more. So we gotta take it for ourself, blud. Nuff said.

Gotta be on dis ting, cos if you ain’t - if you ain’t one of us - then youz a victim. Plain and simple.

My mandem, we in it for the peas, though. Don’t do no killin. Just robbin and that. Every gang got they own special ting, innit. What dem wanna rob from government mans.

Some run postcodes and wanna kill you for the fun and that. We always busy gettin cash, busy for the peas... We just hustlers, tryna make a livin. Mad busy on the Paper Chase. Say no more. That’s why we call ourself dem Paper Chaserz.

So some days you wake up and think - today it could be me gettin killed, still. Then you lose someone you love. And you think - today it could be me doin killin. All I know in dis life is two ting. One, keep movin on that paper chase, or you goin hungry. Plain and simple. Two, try and find where the beauty hidin... when you livin in the squalor... Nuff said.”


Dramatis Personae Adam Deacon on Kickz

Adam Deacon (Kickz) is an award winning actor who has over 14 years of acting experience from his days at the Anna Scher Theatre right through to his major roles in hit UK films Kidulthood and Adulthood. He has a prolific TV career, having appeared in Charlie Brooker’s horror series Dead Set, Spaced, Criminal Justice, A Touch of Frost, Sugar Rush and Spooks amongst others. He is also a music artist and has appeared several times on Tim Westwood’s 1Xtra show.

“I play the character Kickz. He gets scared very easily, he’s part of the family, but he’s not the guy who’s going to go out there and start fighting. He just wants to make his money I guess, get his food and that’s it.

There’s always going to be some kids that are thinking what someone like Kicks is thinking: ‘I don’t really want to be there, do we have to do this?’. In a world where society is broken there are so many kids like Kickz, who have replaced their family with friends. That’s where the boundaries get crossed and they end up doing something they don’t want to do or ordinarily wouldn’t do. They like the fun times and getting their food and all that but they don’t necessarily want to do the whole violence thing. Just because they’ve got a new era cap, got their hood on, and even if they do something that might be a bit more violent it doesn’t mean their heart’s in it. I think Kicks is an example of someone who

doesn’t really want to be part of that, he doesn’t want to do the things he’s doing.

The film sends an important message to adults and government. If we don’t do something to help what’s going on, we’re going to have a whole lost generation on the street, and that’s only going to become more expensive for the government to sort out. Today’s government waits until a kid has committed

a murder and then spends all that money locking him up. Why wait for the crime to happen, we should be investing in kids at a younger age and guiding them away from crime rather than towards it. That’s why the title of

the film is important. People may be shocked and offended by it but that’s the word that most kids are using on the street at the moment, and if that

word wasn’t relevant, people wouldn’t be saying it”.


KICKZ Junior, we know he was your bruvva, he was our bruvva too, we’ve all lost someone. You can’t go on no revenge mission - what you gonna do? Look at the size of you!

CRAZE Nuffin about size - eye for a fuckin eye.

SWEET BOY That’s gonna mean war.

CRAZE So be it.

Ashley “Bashy” Thomas on Rager

Ashley “Bashy” Thomas (Rager) is best known as one of the UK’s leading hip hop/grime artists, who rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of his controversial track Black Boys. He was the assistant music supervisor for the film Adulthood for which he also recorded the theme track entitled Kidulthood. SHANK is his debut acting role. The Mobo award winner’s first track of 2010 is “When The Sky Falls”, the title track of SHANK the movie.

“I play Rager in the film. He is the leader of the gang, he’s also very responsible and instils morals in his younger brother Junior. He’s sort of like the breadwinner, the muscle, the focused individual. He comes across as the eldest in the group but he’s not, he’s the same age as the rest but he has a more adult approach to life.

I think this film is important for communicating positive messages to kids today, that’s why the Home Office and every other government body want

to be involved. Music and entertainment is how to really engage kids and communicate with them in a positive way and that is what this film does

and why I wanted to be involved in it. I have worked hard to get


to where I am today. No one handed me a job, I’ve just worked. I do wish there were more opportunities out there.

A lot of young people feel disenfranchised and feel that they’re alone and that there’s no way out. I think people in power really need to make a conscious effort to go in there and get to these young people and show them another way.

SHANK is entertainment and futuristic but it is also an extreme version of what could happen if things continue going as they are. There are people who are like that now, who fight for food and who are hungry every day. SHANK shows this on an epic proportion”.

RAGER Focus! Put a muzzle on that dog! Look you lot, this ain’t no long ting, we don’t know when we gonna eat again. Be on point. In. Out.

Kaya Scodelario on TashaKaya Scodelario (Tasha) is best known as the decadent Effy in E4’s hit series Skins, being the sole actress to star in all three series so far. She has modelled for various magazines including Dazed & Confused, Vogue and i-D. She also appeared in Duncan Jones’ sci-fi hit Moon and Plan B’s music video Stay Too Long.

“Tasha is a very angry teenage girl who’s been marked by a rival gang and is on a quest for revenge. I can understand

why she’s so angry and why she wants revenge but I don’t think she goes about it in the right way. The setting of the film is very important, I’m a Londoner and I think the gap between the rich and the poor is already so wide and endemic, the London depicted in SHANK suddenly doesn’t seem so unreal.

Growing up in London is definitely getting worse. It’s the 14 year-olds that are the scary ones on the street right now. One of my mate’s friends got stabbed before Christmas by a 14 year-old and he’s a 19 year old man

and almost for nothing, £20 or something. He was stabbed in Stoke Newington, and my best friend had to deal with Christmas without him. It’s

horrible, because you realise how many people it affects.


It’s broken her as a person and it’s scary to think that someone so young can cause pain to so many people. Unfortunately this is what life has become like for a lot of 14 year-olds in London. It’s the only way they can make money and get the things that they want. I hope kids come out of SHANK thinking ‘wow, maybe there is a different way to deal with a certain situation that I’m going through right now…what are my priorities in life, do I want to end up one way or another’. Whatever situation you’re in there’s always a way of getting out of it, you’ve just got to believe in your dream, in what you want to do”.

JUNIOR What? Was you his girl?

TASHA No, fuck that! I was with his cousin, then he started slapping me around and that, so I was like, fuck this, and I just split. They seemed to think I belonged to them, like some fucking piece of meat, couple of them grabbed me and that Tugz started cutting me up, for no reason man.

Michael Socha on CrazeMichael Socha (Craze) firmly made his mark on the British film world following his role as a bully in Shane Meadows’ This is England. Since then he has appeared in Duane Hopkins’ Better Things, Simon Ellis’ award-winning short film Soft and Samantha Morton’s directorial debut The Unloved.

“My character Craze is a northern monkey, who’s always fighting. He gets told what to do and he does it because he’s got respect for the boys. There’s a lot of banter between me and Adam Deacon’s character and no matter what, when I was a kid I would never be beaten verbally. Me and my mates constantly wanted the last word.

I can definitely relate to the mouthiness of Craze. My father died when I was a kid in my early teens and Craze is an exaggerated version of me as a

teenager. Me and my mates belonged to a crew, we were always fighting with different crews. We always used to hang about in the park and that

was our area, but kids would come from different areas and ruin


our park, so we’d retaliate by ruining their area or just invading them. A lot of the time it wasn’t fighting, it was more chasing. Back in the day it only got bad a few times but a few of my mates went to prison for fighting with some other lads that used to come to the park. A lot of gangs don’t name themselves; some gangs will be from all areas and have different sorts of cultures. Some gangs in SHANK are just strictly single race, which I see a lot. In life gangs don’t necessarily hang about together because they need to, they could just go home, where as in SHANK they’ve got to or they’ll rot. If you’re not one of them, you’re a victim.

CRAZE Why they call you Tash - is that cos you got a tache, sket?

TASHA (points at Craze’s groin) Call me sket again and I’ll punch you in your nuts!

CRAZE (taunting) What’s that? Wanna gimme a hand job?

TASHA (puts out open palm) Wouldn’t even fit in here!

CRAZE Would fit in your mouth though! Shouldn’t you be in some clinic

for anorexia?

TASHA It’s not my fault we’re all hungry. And these are my parts!


Jan Uddin on Sweet BoyJan Uddin appeared as Jalil in EastEnders, and also appeared in The Bill and Casualty, before landing his debut film role in Duncan Ward’s Boogie Woogie 2010, alongside Danny Huston and Gillian Anderson. He plays the role of Sweet Boy in SHANK.

“Sweet Boy on face value is the vain womanising joker of the Bunch, he sees himself as God’s gift to womankind but he is

always on the ball and committed to the task set. He is next in command, second to Rager and is responsible for Junior and the rest of the gang. He surprises

everyone including himself when he rises to the challenge of manning up, putting the needs of the others first and being a good example.

I grew up with all types of people around me - different backgrounds, beliefs, social class, etc. and because my family and me lived in many different cities and areas, this made me a mix of many things. In some places I’d have to defend myself against racism, in others it would be that I wasn’t exactly the same as everyone else.

What I liked about Sweet Boy and identify with is his strength to be an individual and stay true to who he is. There’s more to him than the ‘pretty boy’ looks. Even though he is part of a group, he doesn’t feel the need to look, act or even speak like everyone else. Being ‘street’ means something quite different to Sweet Boy than it does to most. He also has the ability to laugh at himself and often deliberately sets himself up to be laughed at -

enjoying the banter”.

SWEET BOY Oh, I’m banging some rich girl over there!

RAGER No one cares about your lies! You make me sick!

SWEET BOY Who’s lying? You know I get pussy!


JUNIOR What you gonna teach me, poppadom?

SWEET BOY Listen dude, when you go up to a girl yeh, you gotta know what to say. Check me out: “Are your feet tired? Coz you been running round my mind all day baby!”

Kedar Williams-Stirling on JuniorSHANK is the first big-screen role for rising star Kedar Williams-Stirling (Junior). The 15-year-old Londoner attended Sylvia Young Theatre School and is currently at the Italia Conti Stage School. He has also featured as Young Simba in The Lion King in London’s West End. He has since appeared in a number of TV roles including an episode of Silent Witness.

“Junior is Rager’s 14 year-old younger brother. He’s the one that plans all of the robberies to get the food for their gang to live. He looks up to his brother a lot and hopes to be like him one day. He’s the youngest in the group but this doesn’t change the amount of work he has to do. He takes his job very seriously but still maintains his boyishness. He’s also quite cheeky.

I don’t have any brothers or sisters to relate to the ‘looking up to’ part of Junior’s life, but I can relate to Rager bringing up his brother through thick and thin when it comes to my mum always being there for me. Rager took on the responsibility of guiding Junior and showing him the way. He maintained strong morals and values and tried to instil these in Junior.

SHANK portrays what London could be like if the government doesn’t invest in the younger generation. Those in power should remember that the younger generation of today are tomorrow’s adults and not investing

in them could take the country down the path that SHANK portrays. The government has a major role to play in the choices young people make. It

needs to invest time and money into the young people of today


so that they do have a tomorrow. I think this is what SHANK is trying to say. Give young people a future where they have real choices and possibilities”. SWEET BOY What’s the point in having principles? (to Junior). What about the promise you made to your brother?

JUNIOR But what’s the point in not protectin your own family?

KICKZ What about the business? I ain’t goin back to being starving.

CRAZE Don’t wanna be eatin out no bins again, man.

JUNIOR (tending to his wounded hand, then looks at Sweet Boy) I have to kill him.


Q&A INTERVIEW

Director: Mo AliMo Ali is one of the hottest directors on the UK urban music scene right now. From his infancy as a street kid in Saudi Arabia, to his childhood and adolescence on the estates of East London, he brings an understanding of the manner and language in which the youth communicate. He had the same experiences as Junior growing up, fighting for food and having to survive every day.

With his extreme drive and visual bravado, Mo has already directed over 60 music videos.

Mo also judged this years Real Lives Anti-Knife Crime Film Competition for Youth Offending Teams in conjunction with the Home Office. The competition is open to young people enrolled on a knife crime prevention programme in Youth Offending Teams in England and Wales. It aims to give young people with previous involvement in knife crime the opportunity to share their experiences and understanding of the effects of knife crime with their peers through the medium of film. The competition runs alongside and complements the Knife Crime Prevention Programme, devised by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and Home Office.

Producer: Terry StoneTerry Stone is a British actor and film producer. Most noted for his role as Tony Tucker in Rise of the Footsoldier in 2007, Tony has since risen to prominence as an independent Producer in the British film industry. He is Producer and writer of the upcoming feature Socialite, producer of Bonded by Blood, and was co-producer on Jack Said. Terry has also Executive Produced

the films Doghouse, Rollin’ with the Nines, which won best feature at Raindance 2005 and was BAFTA nominated, Kung Fu Flid, Rise of the Footsoldier and One Man and His Dog, and was associate producer

on Ten Dead Men and The Big I Am. Other acting roles include the upcoming Jack Falls and The Operative, and various TV appearances. Terry is co-owner of Gateway Films who are developing a slate of

British feature films, and was co-founder of ONENATION.


Screenwriter/Producer: Paul Van CarterPaul is the writer and producer of Revolver’s first feature film production, SHANK. He began producing videos for UK acts such as Dido, Katie Melua, The Kaiser Chiefs, The Ting Tings and The Saturdays. He has written two novels and is now the key writer for Gunslinger, Revolver Entertainment’s production arm. He got a lot of the content for the film SHANK from looking and gang websites and incorporating real life situations and characters into

a futuristic setting.

Producer: Nick TaussigNick Taussig is Deputy Managing Director of Revolver Entertainment. He is also the author of three novels, most recently Gorilla Guerrilla, and is currently writing his fourth. His second book, Don Don, is being adapted for the screen by the team behind Bronson (Grand Jury Prize Nomination Sundance 2009), the writer Brock Norman Brock and producer Danny Hansford. In 2007 he executive produced the BAFTA-nominated

documentary film, Taking Liberties. He was also Executive producer on Bonded By Blood produced by Terry Stone.

1. THE CONCEPT: Kids, Sex and Hip Hop

What would you say is the driving force behind SHANK from the initial stages?

Mo: I think it’s the element of giving the general audience a new platform, new ideas, escapism. Basically escapism is the main thing a lot of these kids look for in a film. They want a little enjoyment, they want to get away from where they are today so this is where this whole concept of incorporating computer animation with live action came from. However the film is

about gangs, they’re not frightening but it’s not just costumes either, so there is an element of reality and satire in there too.

Terry: The thing that attracted me most to SHANK and made me want to do it was the strong message running through it and my

background before I got into the movies. I was running clubs


so I’ve had a lot of experience with different gangs and all that went on, before it was all in the papers, and that’s what attracted me to it. I love the fact that the film shows what could happen if the economy and the gap between the rich and the poor get worse and the hoodies have taken over the world. A lot of people laugh about it but in some parts of

London people say it’s already happened, or that it could happen in the not to distant future.

How true do you think the film is to reality?

Mo: For me the reality is what affects people, like that whole day when Junior experiences that whole thing about his brother being killed, and only has one day to react. That happens a lot in the urban world, not just in Britain but all over the world. But there’s this idea that you can change, you don’t have to react in that way. Because a lot of kids, in that one day, that’s when they kind of do something bad, they go out and seek revenge, so I’m hoping that this film gives kids who find themselves in similar situations a little bit of courage and teaches them that maybe there’s another option, you know, you should cool down. Especially that moment in the film when Junior and Tugz face each other, you can see that tension, and you think “OK, he’s gonna stab him” - but he doesn’t, so the kids could take that as kind

of a brave decision, to see their hero doing that, and hopefully they won’t do it themselves.

Terry: I think it’s also very important that the message is there, that if Junior did go and stab the other guy, he ain’t going to feel better, he ain’t getting his brother back. He falls and dies anyway so that’s karma for you. I’m a great believer in, if you do something bad to someone, it’s gonna come back at some point. So in a way it’s kind of showing that, I know it’s quite quick cos’ he falls down the stairs but I think there’s

a lot of elements in the film that people will take on board and there will be different things that will make people think “yeah, that


was good”. The film has already garnered a lot of support from knife crime charities and people like that, it has already struck a chord, so we know we’re on the right track and we have done the right thing with it.

What makes the film’s approach so different?

Mo: We’ve set a new benchmark for this genre.

Nick: I think that what’s quite interesting as well is that the other films in this genre have just been melodramas and Mo, in his director’s statement, says that too often you get a middle class filmmaker making a film like One Day or making Bullet Boy, or you’ve got someone from that world who’s making something essentially quite austere and a bit of a downer. SHANK is the first British film to consult the kids and incorporate their feedback and ideas in the film making process, and the feedback was that they don’t just want a melodrama anymore. They said “Well, our lives are hard enough anyway, we want something else, we want to be entertained not just preached to” so it is by entertaining them that we can also convey a very important moral message, which is what the Home Office liked about it. That’s where Mo came into his own really because you know, it’s just about offering them fantasy alongside social comment. But crucially I think it’s a reverse engineered film, and that’s important, so in other words the target market are consulted first, before the film is

made.

Paul: It’s not an urban film, it’s an action film as well, or fantasy. It’s a blend of genres so it’s urban with action elements to it, and I think that fantastical element is what’s got all the kids saying “this is something fresh that we’ve never seen before.” The kids are already talking about it that much, hyping it up so much that it will naturally bring political attention as well.


Do you think that the film will shock people? It’s quite a controversial title, has there been any opposition to it so far or do you think that there will be any opposition?

Nick: The Home office, funnily enough of all people, got it completely. They know that it’s a crowded market place so you’ve got to make as much noise as possible, so if you need to use a controversial title to get the kids in and get the message across, then use it. They also knew what audience we were going for. Unless you provoke that audience and are extreme with them, you cannot engage a teenager. But also, it was often the kids that came back and wanted the script to be stronger and tougher. For example, earlier on Paul had written a scene where Tugz doesn’t die, and he eventually breaks down in the end and they kind of hug and the kids said “Tugz has got to die”, so again, it’s very much driven by what they think. That’s so important, because hopefully it gives the film credibility, obviously in terms of how the script is actually written, but also in terms of Mo, and his background. Hopefully that feeds through into the actual film, that authenticity, rather than us as film makers dictating the terms.

Mo: The thing is, it’s got a positive message but the structure of the film is that you’ve got action, and it’s jokey and fun, but then it gets darker because Junior is getting more and more intense, he wants to kill Tugz, you see the tone. It goes dark until the end, when there’s that hope and beauty in the squalor dialogue in the end.

Where did the idea for the non-violent gang come from?

Mo: Gangs are portrayed so much in the media as violent and bad, I wanted to show that gangs are also just a group of kids hanging out and being non violent, and also show kids that you can be cool without having to use violence. The protagonist also shows that it is much cooler to do the

right thing rather than giving in to peer pressure and forgetting your morals.

Terry: When you grow up as a kid everyone hangs around in gangs, but there is a growing perception that comes from America I think,

that if there is a group of kids hanging around together


in hoodies they must be gangsters, or they’re going to mug someone. That’s the message that the media puts out, that if you’re in a hoodie and you’re black you must be a bad person, we should stop and search you and all this crap. To me it’s the wrong message so I’m hoping this film will send out a positive message and people will start to accept that there good gangs and bad ones. Then maybe they won’t be intimidated by groups of kids hanging out and not automatically assume they’re going to murder you. I saw in the papers the other day, an old lady, 80 or whatever, was wearing a hoodie and they wouldn’t let her in because she had a hooded top on, how ridiculous is that? 80-year-old hoodies running round…

Who would you say that this film is for?

Mo: Young kids really. The whole thing is getting a good discussion with them, that’s the end result when they watch it, afterwards they can have a good discussion and talk about it and maybe be inspired by it, that’s what it’s all about.

Terry: I think it’s for everybody and the reason I think it’s for everybody is because the first time I watched it in the cinema, not having been on the set watching it being filmed, I didn’t know what to expect. When I watched it, when the guy gets stabbed it genuinely hits you. A couple of people at the test screening were crying, so it does what it’s supposed to do, but you kind of start thinking that actually, these kids aren’t that bad. A lot of older people now look at kids today and say ‘kids ain’t got no respect’. I watched it and I enjoyed it and I’m quite fussy, I watch things and if I don’t

like it I turn it off. If I enjoyed it, I think anybody can enjoy it. There’s people that are old and will watch it if they get past the thing where they think it is just a kids’ film, and maybe it will help the grown up understand what life is like in a world so full of social and economic problems.

Mo: I think that’s a good point, there’s an angle where there is a message from the kids to the adults, that if you don’t look after our future we will become like this. Today’s youth are born in a tough world where they are forced to pull together in a gang because they don’t

have anyone else.


Does the film have the potential to bridge the gap between the younger and older generations?

Nick: What’s interesting is that in the workshop we did, the kids were very angry with the government and very angry with authority about the fact that they just feel as though they are essentially the most disenfranchised group in society, more than old

people. Funnily enough, the most victimized members of society are the hoodies. A teenager is more at threat of getting mugged than an old person… gangs mug one another, so ironically this is the most endangered group.

Where did the idea of using computer animation come from?

Mo: It just came to me, you know. You don’t see that in other films. Most films for this demographic are very much drama but this is a fantasy-based world, you’re basically opening new doors and exploring new territories and we thought “why not”. I hope that years later they’re gonna go back and find the film, because they remember how old they were when they watched it, because the film captured their whole conscience as teenagers.

Paul: That’s the key to SHANK, it has fantasy elements but it is for our market, it’s about them. Whereas before, they had an urban film that was about them but was a bit depressing, or they had Hollywood that was action or fantasy, the two never met.

Nick: It’s also great that it’s geared towards UK culture with the talent and music. Although I think the fact that it’s set in a future dystopian world will make it relevant to teenagers all over the world.

Paul: There’s a huge demographic out there that hasn’t had representative heroes.

Mo: It’s already got a cultish vibe about it, kids are already twittering and blogging and giving the word “Shank” a whole new meaning.

It would be amazing if the film release re-invented the word in association with the film’s positive messages, rather than using it

negatively as a street term for stabbings.


Paul: It’s something kids everywhere can relate to, all we kept hearing from these kids was that they like Harry Potter, but why is there no black Harry Potter, it’s not representative of the genre.

2. CASTING: New Kids On The Block

How did you go about finding a new breed of actors?

Nick: We had Jane Ripley and she cast Skins and we wanted her on board because she’s great at breaking new talent and in fact what we needed Jane for more than anything was to get us Junior, to get us Kedar who is actually fucking awesome and that’s why Jane is so good.

Mo: It took us three weeks to find Junior. We went through all these kids, none of them were right. Kedar, bless him, walked in, did a monologue and knocked it out of the park.

Mo: Then we got Bashy in to play Rager, obviously good looking, talented, he fits that role of the older brother. When we got Kedar in, I told Bashy “look after him as if he is your younger brother”, and two days later you see Bashy play fighting and really looking out for him off screen as much as on screen. I think that’s what helped Kedar come out of his shell and you see him on set after they’ve bonded

and you’re thinking, “what the hell, that’s not the Kedar that we first met”. And then you have Michael Socha, he’s Craze, he’s mouthy, he’s just constantly talking. He’s like that in real life. I thought he was brilliant. He’s just rebellious by nature. We tried to make the characters and

mannerisms as real as possible, this meant consulting the kids and the actors and re-writing lines that they felt weren’t “real” enough.

Nick: All that rapping that Michael and Adam did in the film, that just came from them fucking about. So that wasn’t scripted, that’s just

them doing what they do so that’s kind of nice as well. You’ve


kind of got moments when they’re ad-libbing but it’s just nice to see them doing what they do. And there’s that mix of established names, Adam and Kaya from Skins but new talent as well. Jane’s very good at finding those new faces. And one of the girls actually – Lexy, we found her at a workshop. So basically we went down to an Academy in Mitcham and she was giving us feedback on the script and she ended up being cast in the film, which works well in terms of making it a film that is made by the kids for the kids.

Mo: Half of them came from that world, from the streets, so they know it. They identified with their characters, and the other half, were established actors and actresses. What was good was that while we were filming, the experienced lot would teach the younger ones, which was beautiful and brilliant but it worked in reverse as well which was even more brilliant. The inexperienced kids would teach the actors and actresses what real life is – giving the film a bit more grittiness. They were teaching each other, which was really good to see.

Are there characters or situations in the film based on real life instances?

Mo: The horse, and a lot of people say they love it. I lived on an estate and got up one morning and went to the shop and saw this fucking big horse on a housing estate. It’s always kind of resonated with me so I always wanted to put something there. It’s surreal but you remember it.

Paul: When I was writing the script I read around the gang websites where the guys talk about or brag about things…or those reports by people who used to work in police or council who used to be gang members who are trying to prevent gang violence in London. There were quite a few stories such as that a dog fight had happened on a council

estate and when one of the dogs won, the other one was like almost dying and the kids who had the losing dog, they just threw it off


the top of a tower block, right off the top of a building, so that went in the script. In general, a lot of the stuff was inspired by real life events.

3. LOCATION: London in 2015

How important is the setting of the film?

Paul: The theme of being set in the future helped with all the exteriors because in the future we are going to have abandoned streets, that are run down with rubbish everywhere, so we could shoot in more low profile areas rather than having to clear

the whole of Oxford Street. We just used real and natural settings for the most part.

Mo: It is London but it’s not London now and it’s not a London where you can see a big red bus. The art department did a great job. You kind of get sucked in and don’t think ‘well that’s now’. It was a futuristic setting and we all really focused on that.

Do you think it will be more accessible to the wider UK?

Paul: I think most people in the audience will watch the film and think “that’s who I relate to”, “I like that guy because I’m Bengali”, or “I like the guy from up North because he’s funny”. Everyone will have their favourite.

Why is this film important to this generation of urban youth?

Mo: It’s important because it’s a communication medium for them. I want to affect these kids so that years from now they’ll still watch it. On twitter I saw a kid reciting Adam Deacon’s line. He’d seen a screening and he’s remembered it, which shows the film has the power to really

communicate with these kids and influence their behaviour and attitudes.


4. SOUNDTRACK: Best of British

Was music a crucial component and why?

Mo: I’m a music video director so I loved working with music. Music videos is my background and I thought a) lets give these kids a sense of recognizable music that they know, and b) why not use urban legends like Tempz and D Dub to be in the film – they don’t get much chance to show their talents but all these kids know about them and sure enough that is the first thing you hear them screaming about when the film starts rolling.

Was it important to use newcomers instead of established artists?

Mo: Yes, because it’s much cooler.

Nick: To get people excited, you’ve got to give them new material and new sounds…if you had that recognisable track, the audience would be back in 2010 and they’ve got to be in 2015 to kind of buy into the story.

Mo: What is interesting is that we used urban music and stuff like that but we mixed it up with acoustics and Japanese drums because it’s new and it’s a lot more dramatic than using a hip hop track or a grime track. It gives this young audience something new to listen to. Bashy loved the idea, he went off and researched it and he was proper excited that it was Japanese drums so it was good.


Soundtrack Track

‘WHEN THE SKY FALLS’Label: GGI

Online: WWW.BASHY.COM

Release Date: 15TH MARCH 2010

TAKEN FROM THE SHANK SOUNDTRACK

‘When The Sky Falls’ is taken from the films official soundtrack released on the 22nd MARCH. It includes some of the biggest artists from the British music scene including chart

topping names such as TINCHY STRYDER, Mercury award winning SPEECH DEBELLE, SKEPTA, TINIE TEMPAH, ROLL DEEP, TEMPA T, BREAKAGE ft NEWHAM GENERALS,

DONAEO, MZ BRATT and many more.

Bashy’s single ‘WHEN THE SKY FALLS’ is available from the 15th MARCH. The SHANK soundtrack is released on the 22nd MARCH.


CREDITSCAST

Junior: KEDAR WILLIAMS-STIRLING

Kickz: ADAM DEACON

Rager: ASHLEY ‘BASHY’ THOMAS

Tasha: KAYA SCODELARIO

Sweet Boy:JAN UDDIN

Craze: MICHAEL SOCHA

Ree Ree: JENNIE JACQUES

Lexy: RHEANNE MURRAY

Tugz: JEROME HOLDER

Boogie: COLIN SALMON

Papa: TERRY STONE

Beano: ROBBIE GEE

Paws: ANTHONY WARREN

Maze: LIA SAVILLE

Cat: SERENA CATAPANO

As Himself: TEMPA T

As Himself: D DOUBLE E

CREWDirector: MO ALI 1st Assistant Director: LANCE ROEHRIG2nd Assistant Director: ALEX HOLTExecutive Producer: AJAY PARKASHCo-Producers: LAURENCE BROWNDEEPAK SIKKASTEVE MILNEAssociate producers: TOM CLARKJUSTIN LANCHBURYRICHARD TURNERMusic Supervisor: ASHLEY ‘BASHY’ THOMASScript Supervisor: JESSICA SQUIRESUnit Production Manager: MICHAEL CONSTABLEUnit Manager: EMILY WHYTE Unit Publicist: NICOLE GREGORYProduction Coordinator: HANNAH DAISY BOYDProduction Accountant: RICHARD TURNERAssistant Art Director: KATE MILLNERMakeup Designer: HANNAH PHILIPLocation Manager: RICHARD HARDWICKSound Effects: EDITOR KIERON TEATHERStunt Coordinator: DAVE JUDGE


Inequality graph: the growth in economic inequality between 1961 and 2008


SHANK in the News Rich-Poor Divide:

Poverty gap is the widest since World War Two – The Sun News paper


Revealed: 170 gangs on streets of London – Guardian

SHANK in the News


Teenage girl “gang raped & covered in burning caustic soda” – Daily Mail

SHANK in the News


Knife crime doubles as Labour fails on pledge – Daily Express

SHANK in the News


Nice house vs slum house

No home, gas or electricity – in 2015, we live in slums.

Chihuahua vs pitbull

There are no Paris Hilton style pooches here.

You need a badass pitbull to protect you.

iPod vs mic

They may not have iPods anymore, but MCs can still spit fire live.

Gun vs shank

Knives and guns were used in 2010. In the very near future, if somebody wants to hurt you they’ll use a shank.

Gold chain vs paperclip chain

We can’t afford expensive jewellery in the shiny 9 carat yellow stuff. Even if we had it, it would probably get robbed so we have to use hand-made items to stay stylish.

TODAY VS 2015


Survival GuideFood riots, gangs and violence... Watch your back or your might get shanked!

The world as you used to know it has ended and now you need to know how to survive. Life is tough in 2015 but the following information will prepare you for the mean streets of London.

Your gang is your fam: Find a crew and stick with them. With no parents to look out for you it’s best not to walk alone if you wanna make it.

Gang-ology: The streets are paved with trouble – know your enemy so that you can uncover their weaknesses and protect yourself when trouble starts. Here is a rundown of the main gangs:

Paperchazers: We trade in munchies, avoid territory disputes but we are not afraid to defend ourselves.

Somali Souljahz: They hang out at the Mosque but prayer might be the last thing on their mind if they need to get their hands on some food.

Slaughter Girlz: These girls are ruthless and run the buses. Your feet might become your preferred mode of transport unless you’re ready to fight for a ride. The bus conductor is kinda cute, so girls – it might be worth it!

Strap Set: They chill at the pub but alcohol hasn’t soaked their brains. Rowdy as hell, they eat tinned food and are into dogfights.

Originalz: These boys are old-school but age ain’t nothing but a number. The olders have got some skills from back in the day tucked up their sleeves.

Haggling: Everybody gets what they need from the markets. Learn how to sweet talk the traders so you get the best price for things.

Hiding places: Make sure you have a special spot to keep your money like Rager does – also good to have a place to keep your munchies!

Munchies = Money Food racketeering is how you make paper these days. The best way to get your hands on some of that good stuff is by robbing food vans or haggling at the market. Food van heists are best done in a team, as your

next trip could turn out to be your last.

Run the streets: Make sure you know all the short cuts in your area, so you can get away from trouble quickly. And make sure you have a meeting place

with your crew so if you have to separate you always know where to find each other.

Education

Shank press pack