Gavron made Suffragette in 2013 and before that Brick Lane, in 2007. This isn't the rough, hand held film I imagined it to be (though it does go hand held when it wants to, or uses phone footage for more a sense of what the kids see). Hélène Louvart (have a look at her filmog to read a load of titles you've never heard of before) is on camera (hooray), the music's by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch and the editing by Maya Maffioli.
Anyway, the main event of course is Bukky Bakray, who won the EE Rising Star Award at BAFTA on Sunday, who's great, but actually all the cast are very natural (Lucy Pardee won the film's one BAFTA for casting these non-professionals), particularly best friend Kosar Ali, little brother D'angelou Osei Kissiedu and Shaneigha-Monik Greyson.
It's great to see how well generally the kids from this melting pot of Morpeth School, Bethnal Green, mix and get on. It was also filmed in Hackney (tower blocks) and Dalston Market.
Good script from Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson, with the actors involved in shaping their characters. In fact it's a terrifically female ensemble behind the camera - apart from the above, all key roles in production design, art and set decoration, makeup and costumes, first AD even, all women - most refreshing. And which fits the film well as apart from a couple of school authority figures, sometimes known as 'teachers', there's an almost total absence of male characters.
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