Nottingham-set film We're All Black Down Here launches trailer
We’re All Black Down Here is a new narrative short film set in Britain that explores themes of race, identity, acceptance, and multiculturalism.
The Nottingham based BFI short film is directed by James Mellors and written by Milly James and has recently released a brand new teaser trailer just this month.
The story follows Morris, a man from Trinidad who works in a coal mine in Nottingham during the 1950s. The dangers of the mine mean Morris and his fellow workers must look out for one another and put differences aside. Yet above ground, out of the showers when the coal dust is washed off, Morris is considered an outsider by the white miners.
Writer James wrote the film based on the experiences of her father who was a black coal miner. And it stars TV Workshop actor Jorden Myrie who has recently featured in Sherwood on the BBC and has a Netflix film called The Strays in which he stars.
Director Mellors has directed two short films to date that were both shot on 16mm film, Coffin 2014, and Nez 2018 and he is currently in development on a feature about three brothers escaping the 1981 Hyson Green riots.
And writer Milly James has written, directed and produced her own shorts and was also a co-producer on Anika Films' award winning short, Limbo. As a writer Milly’s short script Müggelsee won best screenplay at WOFF23 and her drama pilot Ruining Alice Marlow was a winner in the 7 Black Women Script Window 2022
Producer Derry Shillitto adds, “The coal mining experience has been told on film and TV frequency, but rarely from the black perspective”.
Paying homage to classic British social realist cinema and drawing inspiration from directors like Andrea Arnold and Shane Meadows, the film was supported by the BFI and also crowdfunded the production.
The film is set in Nottingham with the majority of the cast and crew living and working in the city and was produced by Simply Thrilled a Nottingham production company.
Check out the teaser trailer above and follow on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/weareallblackdownhereshortfilm
