Croydon director's knife crime film first with complimetary single (From Your Local Guardian)

Croydon director's knife crime film first with complimetary single

10:30am Friday 3rd September 2010 in

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A film maker attempting to explore the aftermath of knife crime on its victims believes he has created the first short film with a complimentary single as its soundtrack.

Bivas Dey, who wrote and directed gritty knife culture film His’story, has created a separate music video with London rappers Luc Skyz and Jedi Ali, who also star in his short movie.

The piece is the latest in a string of short films and music videos the Croydon-based director has created since starting Youthanasia Films 18 months ago.

His’story producer Luke Smith, who worked with Mr Dey on the short film, said he hoped the movie could be used as a building block for a feature-length film.

He said: “Often with knife victims you hear about them after their demise, so our idea was let’s talk about a victim that’s actually survived, and he can tell his story and the mental and psychological trauma.

“It’s about a negative environment but we definitely take a positive outlook on it.

“It deals with knife crime and violence - nowadays there’s a lot of films that glamourise that but we’re doing exactly the opposite.

“We’re talking about a single, but we’re not glamourising it because there’s nothing to glamourise.”

Mr Dey, who describes himself as a visual poet, threw himself straight into creating short films after graduating from the Metropolitan Film School in 2008.

He said: “I feel as if I’m more than a writer and slash director.

“It’s like I, myself become these characters that I display in my films and perhaps this enhances and amplifies the feelings.

“I simply display my personal anguish through cinema, so people can deduce and debate my life through my films.”

More information about Youthanasia, and trailers for their work, are available at youtube.com/user/youthanasiafilms.