T.O.Y is a brand new project funded by London Borough of Cultures and part of Brent 2020 programme. 

T.O.Y is a short film which seeks to challenge people’s perceptions and prejudices of young people. We follow one local youth’s journey into violent crime, focusing on the adults in society who have a responsibility towards the young person. We looks at how this affects the young person and their emotional responses which in turn effects their behaviour and actions.

It’s purpose is to evoke more empathy and compassionate understanding towards this young black male growing up in Brent and born into a challenging environment, we seek to empathise with his plight and highlight some of the prejudices which he encounters in his life.

T.O.Y is an abstract, creative and experimental film, it has a dark aesthetic and we use the language of costumes, dance, music, sound and spoken word to tell the story.

T.O.Y stands for The Other Youth and also makes reference to toys. The Youth is a child who wants to play with toys and finds it difficult to discriminate  between the toy knives he was given as a child and the real ones he is introduced to as he grew older. Also it makes reference to the idea that he is being used as a toy in a political game. We also use toys as props in the film to further add to this association.

To The T brings together 10 artists from across London, all with a personal interest in raising awareness about knife crime to create this short experimental dance film. This film is unique in the sense that we are using purely artistic and creative mediums to raise awareness about a topic which deserves more attention. Because of the murderous cuts from youth services, which have happened over the last few years, young vulnerable people, who already had very little, have no choice but to lead a life of crime.

We hope this film will help to highlight the need for more support and to nudge adults in society with power who do not do enough to help young vulnerable people in our London community.