If you’re like me, you met John Boyega in the film Attack the Block. The young Denzel look alike commandeered attention from the onset of the movie. Since then he has grown into an amazing actor starring in blockbuster films, but most recently his work in smaller roles have stuck with me. In the Netflix Series “Small Axe” he was featured in a role based on the real life of Leroy Logan. That series of film, along with Top Boy and Luther, have given me a small amount of insight into the UK. Small Axe was an authentic, detailed look at the plight of West Indian Londoners from the 70s to the 80s, and is obviously more realistic than both Luther and Top Boy, or even Bubble Gum (another British based television show).
As Black person in the U.S., the film and television taking place in the U.K. allows for a window to show the struggle of Blacks in the U.K. bears an unfortunate resemblance to our condition and reality here in the States. What does this have to do with Boyega and Converse? Everything.
“Converse will partner with John Boyega to launch the Create Next Film Project. I approached Converse with a desire to start a domino effect in creating opportunities,” says Boyega. “Black talent is underrepresented in the film industry, and I’ve always wanted to create pathways for young talent. This partnership with Converse is the first step in me trying to address that.”
If the films that will be created under this banner are anything like the Small Axe series, we are all in for an amazing journey. I’m sharing this because it hits home for me. When I taught high school I implemented a Creative Writing program. In that program my students shot films. They had to create treatments and submit them. They voted on the winner and then they had to build the team to shoot the film. The result was a series of short movies ranging from comedy to drama, to Romeo and Juliet. Converse is moving beyond simply being a sneaker company and they are doing important work in supporting creativity. I’m sending a huge kudos to the team and I will definitely keep an eye on this. You can check out Converse’s All Stars Program by clicking this link. Also use the source link to check out the short video of the upcoming Boyega x Converse project.
Oh, if you want to see one of those student led films from my time as a high school Creative Writing teacher, here you go: