"REACH" shortlisted for Small Axe Radical Short Film Award

We're very pleased to announce that our #Shake2013 film "Reach" has been shortlisted for the Small Axe Radical Short Film Awards in the Best Activist Film - Factual/Documentary category at this year’s Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival.













The Small Axe Short Film Competition is a brand new initiative for radical filmmakers being launched at the inaugural Tolpuddle Radical Film Festival in July 2014.

Young people, students and activist filmmakers from all over the world were invited to submit short films that are "rebellious, angry, radical, revolutionary, socialist, anarchist, militant, progressive or subversive"!


The Small Axe screening and awards event will take place on the morning of Sunday 20th July in the Vintage Mobile Cinema on the festival site of the Tolpuddle Festival in Tolpuddle, Dorset.

Short-listed films will be screened between 10.00-12.30 with the winners being announced between 12.30 and 13.00.

Congratulations to all our young film-makers: Nathaniel Chapman, Enayet Mannan, Umaru Saidu, Khadiza Shahid, Minhas Wariz! And also to Richard York and Hannan Majid (The Rainbow Collective) and Derek Richards from Hi8us South for their facilitation and support.

You can watch "Reach" and our brand new film "Remember" on our YouTube channel and further videos here.

Latest Shake! Film: Reach

This poetic documentary set out to explore issues of aspirations, social cohesion, capitalism, gentrification, and the UK's growing economic divide, as identified by the young film makers.

The second Shake! film of the year was made by:

Nathaniel Chapman
Enayet Mannan
Umaru Saidu
Khadiza Shahid
Minhas Wariz

It was devised in a day, shot over 2 days and edited in 3 days by young participants of the August 2013 workshops at the Bernie Grant Art Centre. The film making was facilitated and supported by film makers Richard York and Hannan Majid The Rainbow Collective and Derek Richards from Hi8us South.  This arresting film is testament to all their incredible talent.

Film Makers Q & A

The film was so sophisticated. Stunning. - Jane 

The film was absolutely incredible- Audience member from Shake Showcase

"Very sophisticated touches, the juxtaposition of the ticker tape of share prices and the fingerprinting news story, could easily have been missed, but matched the larger image of the HSBC building towering over the estates. Great film."- Sarah

Shake! Update: Hannan Majid and Richard York, from Hi8us South join Shake! intensive.

EXCITING NEWS UPDATE: this Shake! we will have film makers Hannan Majid and Richard York, from Hi8us South. Derek Richard from Hi8us tells us:

Richard and Hanan tend to work together and/or interchange themselves across the duration of a project. This might seem unusual, but it always works for us. Here are links to recent projects of theirs which will make it clear why they're right for this work. They'll bring a lot to the week in general through the work they've been doing.

The Trailer for their most recent feature doc, The Machinist. It was released before the Rana factory collapse in Bangladesh, but has since been attached to campaign to raise money for the victims in addition to its original role as an awareness raising film about working conditions in garment factories in Bangladesh: 

The second is a short made about Adidas for War On Want on the same issue: http://vimeo.com/67196013

We are so excited to be working and learning with them.

If you are a budding film maker, or interested in film join us for our Shake! intensive, email farzana@platformlondon.org for an application.