Sixteen ks02

One of the joys DN being around for as long as we have is getting to see talented filmmakers initially featured on the site with an early short hitting their stride and jumping into the feature film production phase of their careers. The latest member of the DN alumni to do so is UK director Rob Brown who we first spoke to in 2010 with his short Silent Things. Making good on the tease he left us with at the end of that interview, Rob has been working on the script (which was selected for the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum at the EIFF) for what will be his debut feature, Sixteen, for the past three years and recently ramped up into production. Here’s what the film’s about:

Jumah is about to turn sixteen in two days and wants to leave his violent past behind him. Things seem to be better now. He has a tentative relationship building with a girl at a school. But then Jumah witnesses a stabbing and those involved want to ensure that Jumah says nothing to the police about what he saw that night. Pressure mounts as violence forces its way back into Jumah’s life.

Sixteen was shot on location in and around London over 18 days at the end of March on the ARRI Alexa with master prime lenses by Justin Brown, a cinematographer whose name seems to crop up a disproportional amount on some of our favourite films in recent years (This is Vanity, Human Beings, Weekend, Consequences of the Kill, Birdy), so we know the visuals are guaranteed to support Rob’s strong directorial voice.

With the shoot in the can, the Sixteen team are looking for a Kickstarter helping hand to get them through post and to a cut ready to hit the festival circuit. Head over to the film’s campaign page where you can find our more about Sixteen and pledge your support.

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