‘Two Black Boys in Paradise’ to Premiere at San Francisco’s Frameline
Skwigly
Two Black Boys in Paradise, the beautifully crafted animated short film based on a poem by award-winning writer Dean Atta (The Black Flamingo) and narrated by UK musician, actor and writer Jordan Stephens, will have its Bay Area premiere at the BAFTA-qualifying Frameline: The San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the world’s largest and longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival, taking place in San Francisco this June.
Image: One6th Animation Studio
Directed by Baz Sells and written by Baz Sells, Dean Atta and Ben Jackson, the 1 x 9’ stop motion animated short is produced by Manchester’s One6th Animation Studio, and was supported by the BFI Short Form Animation Fund (awarding National Lottery funding), with early development support of actor Ian McKellen and Partizan Films.
The film has already attracted the attention of notable figures in the entertainment industry including Billy Porter:
From the first frame the tears came. Hours later I still weep. Finally, somebody sees me. Sees US! Thank you.
Joanna Lumley:
Extremely original, wonderfully imaginative and heartfelt. I loved it.
and Omari Douglas:
I was so moved by this film – there is so much truth, hope and beauty in it.
The participation at Frameline continues the film’s strong festival run, which started with its world premiere at Anima festival in Brussels, where it played to a sold out 850-capacity screening, followed by its UK Premiere at BFI Flare in London. The film has announced 15 festival selections so far, including five BAFTA-qualifying festivals and eight Academy Award qualifying festivals worldwide. It will also be screened on May 24th at the prestigious Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
Ben Jackson says:
To screen at the world’s largest and oldest LGBTQ+ film festival, one that helped define queer culture and cinema, is beyond anything I imagined when we began this journey. To follow in the footsteps of filmmakers who have reshaped the way queer lives are seen and celebrated on screen is deeply humbling.
Director Baz Sells, who will be attending SIFF added:
I’m incredibly proud to have our film screened at SIFF, not only because of its prestigious reputation but because of SIFF’s inclusive and courageous values, which align closely with the TBBIP production. We made this film to amplify the important conversations that Dean Atta’s poem invokes, and we’re humbled that SIFF has given us this opportunity to connect with the audience in Seattle.
Dean Atta said:
To see people connect so deeply with the story — to have them come up to us afterward and share what it meant to them, how moved they were — has meant the world to me. At both Anima and BFI Flare, the love in the room was overwhelming.
Image: One6th Animation Studio
Produced in lovingly-crafted stop motion animation, Two Black Boys in Paradise tells the story of Eden (19) and Dula (18) — two Black boys on a journey of self-acceptance as their love for each other, and their refusal to hide it, lands them in a paradise free from shame and judgement. Based on Atta’s poem from his acclaimed poetry collection There is (still) Love Here, it explores themes of homophobia and racism, and tackles the real-life struggle of identity, sexuality and belonging. Actor Arun Blair-Mangat (Kinky Boots, In the Heights) provides non-verbal sounds for the film, alongside Stephens’ narration.
The film was recently awarded Best Short Jury Honorable Mention at Florida’s OUTshine. Other upcoming North American screenings include the Oscar-qualifying deadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma on June 12th and 15th, and the renowned Inside Out Toronto on May 24th.
Two Black Boys in Paradise was made with the support of the BFI Short Form Animation fund, awarding National Lottery funding. A nationwide initiative, the competitive fund offers ambitious animation filmmakers the chance to access a higher level of funding, which is rarely accessible to short-form productions.