We The People
We The People follows six inspiring intergenerational conversations between local activists as they reflect on the present, past and future of activism in Brixton, a neighbourhood where local struggles resonate loudly with international Black, queer and working class liberation movements.
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Fan SissokoDirector
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Virginia NimarkohDirector
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Fan SissokoProducer
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Virginia NimarkohProducer
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Tom Ross-WilliamsAssociate Director
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Tom Ross-WilliamsAssociate Producer
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The Advocacy AcademyAssociate Producer
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Fan SissokoEditor
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Leila Hassan HoweCast (older activists)
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Clare TruscottCast (older activists)
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Malcolm WatsonCast (older activists)
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Ana Laura Lopez de la TorreCast (older activists)
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Anne E CooperCast (older activists)
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Heather SealCast (older activists)
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Becky PayneCast (older activists)
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Ibtisam AhmedCast (older activists)
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Helen CarrCast (older activists)
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Ajuub FarajiCast (young activists)
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Angie Lorena GomezCast (young activists)
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Betty Pearl MayoCast (young activists)
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Cristian FernandezCast (young activists)
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Davida AfriyeCast (young activists)
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Jemmar SamuelsCast (young activists)
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Martins BanjoCast (young activists)
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Natalia MorganCast (young activists)
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Semi OrekoyaCast (young activists)
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Shiden TekeleCast (young activists)
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Tal AmiranCamera
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Chris LeeCamera
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Virginia NimarkohCamera
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Maiken HansenSound Editing
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Martins BanjoBoom & Runner
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Gary StewartOriginal Music
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Trevor MathisonOriginal Music
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:34 minutes 21 seconds
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Completion Date:October 25, 2019
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Production Budget:29,700 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Little Wing Film FestivalLondon (online)
United Kingdom
September 21, 2020
Winner Film Futures Award / Nominated for Best Documentary -
The Lift-Off SessionsPinewood Studios
United Kingdom
June 14, 2020
Official Selection -
First-Time Filmmaker SessionsOnline
June 21, 2020
Official Selection -
Women Of The Lens Film FestivalLondon (online)
United Kingdom
November 8, 2020
Official Selection -
International Queer & Migrant Film FestivalAmsterdam
Netherlands
December 2, 2020
European Premiere (outside UK)
Official Selection -
Les Mains Gauches - Queer Feminist Short Movies
France
September 9, 2021 -
Lift FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
July 29, 2021
Virginia is an artist and cultural worker. Her art practice explores ideas of utopia in the city, particularly in relation to community action and public space. She has completed commissions
for The Royal Parks and The Photographers Gallery; and taken part in (Re:)Thinking the Street: Urban Encounters at Tate Britain.
Virginia has also worked in community development and runs a local social enterprise addressing food poverty. She believes in the interconnectedness of communities and how collaboration can bring social change.
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Fan is a filmmaker with a background in social design and visual ethnography. For the last 10 years, she has conducted multimedia participatory research projects with vulnerable members of the public to drive innovation in the public sector, mainly around mental health, social care and community wellbeing. She uses film, photography and audio as a means to record intimate stories that can inspire social change.
In addition, Fan is actively involved in community projects and has a strong interest in creative citizenship. Finally, she produces the Hope Rising, a podcast exploring creative responses to local crises.
In a time of political, social and economic uncertainty, in many ways society never seemed so fractured. At the same time, we know our beloved neighbourhood of Brixton, South London, to be one that is resilient, collaborative, creative, generous and unconventional.
‘We The People’ is a participatory documentary structured around 6 intergenerational conversations between younger and older Brixton residents, exploring what activism means to them on a deeply personal level. They take us on a journey down Railton Road through the legacy of Brixton’s radical history: from the well documented Brixton Uprising to the lesser known histories of queer activism and squatting. They also reflect on the changing face of Brixton. As the neighbourhood attracts a more affluent and less diverse crowd, the spaces where people could come together, dream together and change the world together are threatened. What will remain of this history in the face of gentrification?
‘We The People’ is motivated by a desire to record the unwritten stories of a neighbourhood that has resistance in its DNA.
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The film was co-produced with a group of 9 young people from the Advocacy Academy - the UK’s first campus for youth activism. We have worked with Lambeth Archives, May Day Rooms and local residents to find archival material from the community rather than from official sources. The project was commissioned and funded by the Museum of London commission.