A DOCUMENTARY produced by a Newport-based youth arts organisation has won accolades across the pond.
HUMANiTREE, a documentary created primarily by a team of 11 young people aged between 16 to 20 from Urban Circle set out to show the connections that exist between all humans such as a shared concern for the global warming crisis. Now, it has won Best Documentary Audience Choice at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, California.
Loren Henry, 38, CEO at Urban Circle, said it "is incredible" to get this award at a film festival that has been going for 30+ years. The documentary also won an award in Canada at the Hamilton Black Film Festival.
Ms Henry added: “Urban Circle is a youth organisation, first and foremost, and we work with the young people in safe and fun environments, enabling them to gain key soft skills.
"In doing so, this is where we get to hear about what they need, what’s affecting them, and what they want to learn about. Our projects are co-produced with them.
"HUMANiTREE stemmed from our first project, Positive Identity in 2015, and we also created Wales Untold, a documentary which talks about the integration of Black people into Welsh society. It’s very hyperlocal.
"There was a need for our young people coming from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority backgrounds who wanted to know more about their roots and their culture, on a global level."
The documentary has premiered throughout the city since its release in 2022, including local screenings at The University of South Wales, Newport Cinema and The Riverfront Theatre.
It was also shown at The Ritzy Picture House cinema in London’s Brixton, for the official launch.
Ms Henry explains that this project was not about "throwing blame anywhere, it’s about seeing and realising, and learning from our collective mindsets to issues which affect us all."
The example she uses is tackling climate change.
Ms Henry said: "We share the same planet. This is a massive consensus and narrative our young people were getting from the experts, our ignorance to one thing, such as race, which shouldn’t be a thing, but is, and affects us all."
Ms Henry has pointed out that this project and others like it "have had momentum of their own".
“We’ve managed to create educational resources including the HUMANiTREE and Wales Untold documentaries,” she said, “in support of the implementation of the new curriculum. Our resources reflect the true diversity of our population and will assist learners to understand how this diversity has shaped modern Wales.”
Ms Henry added: “Urban Circle upholds the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and champions the fact that Wales is working towards becoming an Anti-Racist Wales by 2030."
The documentary was produced by Urban Circle. Eleven young people from South Wales worked with a professional film crew called BlackNine Films and partners such as the University of South Wales, to research and investigate along with local experts in Black History like Abu-Bakr Madden Al-Shabazz.
How was it funded?
The project was funded by different organisations such as The Arts Council of Wales, however Urban Circle had to fundraise to boost the project.
The project spanned 18 months as opposed to the predicted 12 months "because of the amount of information that was coming through,” said the CEO of Urban Circle.
The Urban Circle is a registered charity serving the community.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here