Honeytrap - groundbreaking Brixton film about gang culture goes for crowdfunding

Looks to me that this is a real opportunity if it lives up to what is is said on her website for the film:

 

She says that:

Also from Brixton Blog interview:

There have been a few films out recently like "ill Manors" and "Bullet Boy" covering issue of gangs. This film is to see it from a teenage girls point of view. It could be an interesting film if done right. The director has a track record of working in the area. So this should not be exploitative film from the outside.

Previous post Ed said the director might come on here. Be useful if she gave her side and answered some of the criticisms here.

editor

 

I think he said producer, not director.

 

If it's got the blessing of the families directly involved, then fair enough. Otherwise I think it's pissing on their grief because there are so many victims in all this.

 

I keep saying it because no-one else seems to give them a second thought.

 

Seeing as London is full of film production companies you'd think this might be a good opportunity for some young Londoners, y'know *takes off Boris wig and scrubs self*

 

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...-for-crowdfunding.307309/page-2#post-12037937

 

Fair do's. I missed that because of the tiny 'there are more posts' which I often miss.

 

I think that distinction won't make any difference to the families at all.

 

then why not write an original story? Films 'inspired by true events' need to be changed to fit a cinematic narrative structure. Changing the events in a case like this surely runs enormous risks of misrepresenting what happened for some of the people involved or their families. If you write an original screenplay, those risks are much, much reduced.

 

This winds me up, I have to say - both as a teacher at a Southwark girls' school where a very high proportion of students are entirely unrepresented by the media, and as a feminist:

"I hope the film goes some way towards giving a voice to young women who are often overlooked in British film.”

So, you want to tell an untold sory of young women who are overlooked? Because when we do see representations of these young women they are playing girlfriends and babymothers and gang hangers-on? (see kidulthood/adulthood/sket/attack the block/etc) Wow - what better way to redress that balance than to make a film all about a girl who defined herself, and who the case hinges upon her being the girlfriend of two young men, and who is involved in gang violence. Astonishing. A representation of south london girls we've never seen before. Where are the stories about south london girls who aren't involved in gangs, and who aren't defined by whose bloody girlfriend they are?

 

But from the promotional film, this seems to be much more than that. Psycho was an original film inspired by the serial killer John Wayne Gacy... whereas Monster - the film about Aileen Wournos (sp?) is 'based on real events'. One is an original story, and the other is a dramatisation of real life.

 

absolutely. the finished film could be very different to how it's being sold in that film. but that's what we have to go on for now.

 

Middle-class, liberal do-gooder, hipster film maker, wants to make some cliched "edgy" film all about the yoot who come from the ghetto down the road from her... and is begging for the cash.

How much is she paying herself out of this ?

 

Mate, you can't praise an as yet unmade film as 'groundbreaking' in your thread title, then when other people express an opposite view, tell them to wait until they've seen it. Think about it. Doesn't come over very well. Either have your say and let other people have theirs, or, if you want to be the oh-so-restrained voice of 'reserve judgement till you've seen it', then, well, reserve judgement till you've seen it.

 

It could be that there is an untold story to be told about girls & gangs though, and really from a a girls perspective. And if someone wants to make that film then fair enough. (I agree it would be more groundbreaking if it included girls who weren't involved with gangs, but maybe that couldn't be the hook and would have to be sneaked in?)

My Murder gets used on the educational bit of the BBC - presumably to be discussed in PHSE lessons or similar. I can well imagine girls watching that & saying that it doesn't tell the whole story, and there's more to it than that implies. My Murder is more of a straight reconstruction so it can only go so far.

But I am uncomfortable with the film being called 'Honeytrap', and as a cinematic & beautiful film inspired by true events - that makes it sounds as if it was inspired by the murder of Shakilus Townsend, and will be a straight sympathetic portrayal of the girl who is currently serving life for murder. I can see how - as Mrs Magpie says - that would be pissing on the grief of the families involved. When people discuss that murder I have even heard them refer to her as "the honeytrap girl" and everyone immediately knows which case it is. It may say it's not a biopic, but for me - it sounds too closely based.

It feels as though whatever comes out of the workshops & the mentoring - whether it's untold stories of girls who are or aren't involved in gangs, or who are but in different ways than one might expect - it's already been decided that it will be about 'the girlfriend', 'the honeytrap girl', that particular case.

 

Some of her other films here can be watched here: I am working my way though them. Electric & the doc about Stockwell Park Estate look interesting.
I'm coming round to her but I still have reservations about the links to a specific and well known murder being too strong.

 

I'm just tired of young people being depicted in such negative terms, they're not all roaming the streets shouting 'Ya get me doe' every five fucking minutes.

 

It's as ground breaking as Attack the Block.

 

Ed Gein, Gacey was a lot later

 

So how come you can praise it without seeing a single second then?

 

thank you!

 

Well, this woman must be genuine and well respected, cos some of the young people supporting her wouldn't give her the time of day if they thought/knew she wasn't genuine.