The teens do lessons not just on Saturdays, but also during school holidays – and the majority juggle it with sixth form college, university or work. (Picture: Getty)
On a drab Saturday morning, the classrooms of an East London school are buzzing, despite the school bell ringing to end the day more than 12 hours earlier.
It may be the weekend, but this group of students are thirsty to learn. Yet-to-be discovered cinematic talent, they graft in their free time in a bid to make their mark on the big screen in years to come.
But what makes this place all the more fascinating isn’t what is going on, however – it’s who is doing it.
In an industry where ethnic minorities represent less than 5% of the workforce, the people who use the space at Mulberry Academy, Shoreditch work to create opportunities for underrepresented voices.
Called Ghetto Film School (GFS), it’s a non-profit that was established in New York in 2000 which now has branches in the Big Apple, Los Angeles and London. Its ethos is to offer training and education in storytelling for young people 16-19 who want to work in the film, TV, radio and entertainment spaces, but would have little chance to get a foot in the door otherwise.
The teens do lessons not just on Saturdays, but also during school holidays – and the majority juggle it with sixth form college, university or work.
One current student is Hannah Adan, a 20-year-old who was born and raised in Croydon.
Hannah is an aspiring filmmaker (Picture: Matt Crossick)
She’s just finished her first year studying International Relations at the University of Westminster and is two years into her GFS training.
She discovered the school while in sixth form at a mixed comprehensive school, after the organisers came in for a presentation. ‘It felt like an opportunity that came at the perfect time,’ Hannah tells Metro.
She had dreamed of pursuing a film career after watching the Disney Channel’s Sonny With a Chance starring Demi Lovato – a show-within-a-show that portrays a group of teens working on a sketch comedy, and their behind the scenes antics. ‘Seeing them have so much fun being creative inspired my little 11-year-old brain,’ explains Hannah, who is of Somali descent.
Now, she spends every Saturday at GFS, alongside studying for her degree.
Living both worlds is difficult sometimes, Hannah admits, but she has no regrets. ‘Balancing university assignments, film school work and social life isn’t easy but it has become more manageable over the years,’ she says.
Hannah credits Maya Jama as an inspiration (Picture: Reuters)
But it definitely would have taken me longer to get into film [without GFS] and taken a lot for me to decide to take the risk because it’s such a competitive industry.’
Although her parents don’t work in the arts themselves, they have been supportive of her decision to pursue filmmaking, and Hannah credits Love Island host Maya Jama and internet personality Chunkz, for helping more Somalis …read more
Source:: Metro
