HERE/NOT HERE, a brand new British, Deaf hip hop drama exploring British Sign Language, Krump street dance, football and Visual Vernacular – the choreographed and poetic form of sign language – will have its TV premiere on Film4 and Together TV on Monday 11 May and will also be hosted online on BSL Zone where it will remain available to watch following the broadcast.
HERE/NOT HERE brings together a diverse creative team and company from Deaf and hearing communities and is directed by award-winning film-maker and Deaf artist Bim Ajadi whose recent works include docu-drama Dot and short film 4. Written by Jonzi D, Artistic Director of the annual hip hop dance and theatre festival Breakin’ Convention, the film is a unique collaboration with the film’s professional and non-professional, Deaf and hearing cast. The music is composed and produced by Torben Lars Sylvest a long-time collaborator of Olivier Award-winning choreographer Botis Seva.
HERE/NOT HERE is an urban, funny and thought provoking hip hop drama film which sees three rival groups – Deaf VVers, footballers and Krumpers – clash over who should use an abandoned warehouse space. Despite their differences, they find and inspire a common language through movement to communicate, collaborate and come together.
As Director Bim Ajadi said: “HERE/NOT HERE is about fear of invasion of a space. The message of this film is not to be too quick to judge strangers, once you’ve crossed that line in getting to know a person more, you might be surprised by how much you have in common, how you’ve learned something new, how much you feel valued. This is about being open-minded and trying to accept and appreciate new and different people.”
Complementary to the film, a special behind the scenes documentary titled LOOK HERE/NOT HERE, directed by Andrew Gillman, will see Director Bim Ajadi and Writer Jonzi D discuss the characters, narrative, themes and the making of the new music drama.
HERE/NOT HERE will be available to see on Monday 11 May on Film4 at 8am (pre-watershed version), Together TV at 7pm (pre-watershed version) and 10pm (post-watershed version), and on BSL Zone from 8.30am where it will remain available online. LOOK HERE/NOT HERE will air the following week on Monday 18 May on Film4 at 8am, BSL Zone online from 8.30am and Together TV at 7pm and 10pm.
The project features a company of both established and first-time BAME actors, dancers and Visual Vernacular performers. The principal cast features: Nadeem Islam, Catrina Nisbett, Theophillus ‘Godson’ Oloyade and Ryan Pendley.
