#BlackBoyJoyGone (2022)

#BlackBoyJoyGone (#BBJG) is a BFI Doc Society funded hybrid documentary by and for black men on mental health, sexual trauma and finding strength through brotherhood. Blending interviews, poetry, dance and storytelling, it captures the lives, realities, and the hopeful perspectives of men from across the UK. The individual and collective accounts inform the narratives using the Six Stages Of Transformation, with the addition of layers of magical realism, poetry, and dance. The dance sequences draw from West African and western Contemporary techniques. Working collaboratively with mental health organisations and Black mental health professionals in the UK, including Mind charity and The Survivors Trust, this project aims to amplify the voices of Black men who are often marginalised and underrepresented in accessing support and wellbeing services. The title ties in with the celebration of Black men through the Black boy joy motif. It is a play on how we're never 'too far gone' if we seek the right help.