#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 in the North, the Midlands and London in the United Kingdom.

The individual and collective accounts inform the narratives with the addition of layers of imagery, poetry, and dance. The dance sequences draw from Hip Hop, Popping, Waving, and West African & western Contemporary techniques.

Working collaboratively with mental health organisations and individuals in the UK, including Mind charity, The Survivors Trust and Black mental health professionals, this project has reached out far and wide, 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.

The film highlights the important yet untold experiences of Black men. It reveals genuine, heartfelt stories within the wider Black Lives Matter conversation to show solidarity and, to bring attention to lived experiences and healing wounds.

Interview with Director Ashley Karrell and Writer/Actor Isaac Ouro-Gnao

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

We made this film to be able to express a topic and lived experience that Black men still struggle to talk about authentically. You would be surprised by how many Black men with lived experiences of mental illness, trauma, and sexual abuse stay quiet and don't seek the support they need. This was the case for me (Isaac Ouro-Gnao). Too long did I bottle everything up thinking ignoring it or leaving it in the past would help. Facing my conditions head-on, accepting them, and seeking support within a community are what have been helping me cope. This film is for all those going through the same thing. It's a call for community support and a call to celebrate who we are because of and despite of our lived experiences. For me (Ashley Karrell) I saw it as a unique opportunity to challenge the preconceptions of how Black men can share, find community and heal.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The beauty of the film is in its ability to connect with any and everyone. We all have men in our lives. Finding ways to relate to each other and better understand each other is a powerful thing. You should watch this film because Black men who have and are still struggling are being upheld for the beautiful people we are. It's Black joy and hope.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film is framed by my personal experience of mental illness and childhood sexual abuse (Isaac Ouro-Gnao). In my search for community and collective support, I was able to find other Black men of different generations to talk to and learn from. Bringing the subject to the wider, multiple, complex, and diverse experiences of Black men.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

We first spoke to the Black men collaborating with us about their experiences. Isaac's story was then able to form the glue between their stories. This was achieved through a collaborative approach. Working with Isaac, I (Ashley Karrell) was able to hold a safe space for him to discover how much of his experience he wanted to share in the script. I was really interested in the 6 Stages of Transformation as a tool to frame Isaac's experience and the experience of other Black men. This meshed really well with Isaac's interest in magic realism and the West African pantheon of spirits and deities. The script and visual aesthetics of the film developed organically over the entire process. We weren't afraid of trying different things to see what spoke to us, what felt authentic, and what felt vulnerable instead of a predetermined scripted story.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We've received a lot of positive feedback about how we found a perfect harmony between the mediums of dance, poetry, music, documentary format, and magic realism aesthetics. All of our audience praise the authentic vulnerability we were able to capture and the courage of all the Black men in the film. It's visually striking too, and that's thanks again to the collaborative approach with the film crew, sound engineers, costume designers, make-up artists, and all of the creative team.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Feedback has been highly affirming and validating. It's also confirmed that what we're working towards - building local, national, and international communities - is right. We want to spread love, vulnerability, awareness, resilience, rest, and Black joy. And it's all happening.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We're hoping to join a beautiful and diverse community to connect with, learn from, support and be supported by. The ethos of wearemovingstories' community building aligns perfectly with our hopes for #BlackBoyJoyGone.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We would love to connect with producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, funders, journalists, film festivals and fellow directors to help us expand our reach even further and foster possibilities for collaborations in the future. The film has already started touring UK theatre venues as a live performance and film show and has had wonderful reactions. We want to bring it to new territories around the world and expand on the narratives around the Black experience.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

One that creates space for vulnerable and authentic connection and advocacy; conversations around Blackness and mental health; the importance of community support and collectivism; and the value of film as a medium to spread a powerful message.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How do you feel? We can create hope for us all.

Would you like to add anything else?

Please do get in touch with us on Instagram or our website. @ashleykarrell, @isaacourognao, www.BlackBoyJoyGone.com, www.Panoptical.co.uk and use the hashtag #BlackBoyJoyGone

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We're working on expanding on #BlackBoyJoyGone to reach mental health and community spaces as outreach, live performance responses and interpretations of the film to exist in varied art spaces. In the UK, it's now turned into a theatre show that commissions new Black male artists to respond to the film. We would really be interested in creating a new documentary feature or TV series that expands on the universe we have started off creating support, and collective healing through the film medium.

Interview: April 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

#BlackBoyJoyGone

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.

Length: 25:00

Director: Ashley Karrell & Isaac Ouro-Gnao

Producer: Melanie Abrahams & Ashley Karrell

Writer: Isaac Ouro-Gnao

About the writer, director and producer:

ASHLEY KARRELL is an award-winning director, producer, photographer and theatre creator with a career spanning over two decades. His broad spectrum of work includes films, visual art, theatre production, commercial and experimental video and mass participation pieces across and outside of the UK. Ashley is captivated by stories about human experiences, and the fact that we all have something to share if we allow ourselves time and space to explore ideas of community, to be socially engaging, and internationally minded.

ISAAC OURO-GNAO is a Togolese-British multidisciplinary artist and freelance journalist. He creates empathetic and thought-provoking work rooted in traditional African realism, magical realism, and Africanfuturism. His impact in the dance world has been multifaceted; working as a performer, voice artist, scriptwriter, and marketer for esteemed dance theatre artists and companies.

MELANIE ABRAHAMS is an arts and multi-media producer and curator who consistently pushes for greater diversity in the arts, with a focus on narratives of race, class, mixed-race identities and intersectionality. Film & multi-platform productions include Slate Film Shorts at Showroom Cinema 2019 (Eclipse Theatre/Site Gallery/City of Ideas co-production, Slate World Promo 2017 (co-writer with Bobby Tiwana), CaribbeanFest Shorts 2018 (British Library), Showcase Smoothie (mental health film shorts, 2015), London Is The Place For Me Film Shorts (Tricycle Theatre, 2012), ‘Freedom One Day’ with Chris Ofili (Victoria Miro Gallery, 2002), Facing Leicester Square (consultant for BBC Radio 3 Drama, 2002), Back Home (BBC World Service, 2002).

Key cast: Isaac Ouro-Gnao, Chiedu Oraka, Tunde Ashaolu, Nyall Simms, Daniel Thompson, Winston Anderson, Aaron Broomfield, Greg Rogers

Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, producers and buyers

Facebook: Ashley Karrell, Isaac Ouro-Gnao

Twitter: @AshleyKarrell, @isaacourognao

Instagram: @ashleykarrell, @isaacourognao, @blackboyjoygone

Hashtags used: #blackboyjoygone #blackjoy #blackmen #blackisbeautiful #documentary #film #dance #poetry #mensmentalhealth #mentalhealth #blackmalementalhealth #blackmentalhealth #storytelling #magicalrealism #spirituality #healing #brotherhood #community #collectivehealing #MentalFitness

Website: www.BlackBoyJoyGone.com, www.panoptical.co.uk

Other: YouTube, IMDb

Made in association with: BFI Doc Society

Funders: BFI Doc Society

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Sat, Apr 29th, 3:15 PM @ The Plaza Theatre | LeFont Auditorium
[Available April 29, 3:15 PM - May 6, 12:00 AM, 2023] Stream online
Atlanta Film Festival USA