The emerging director giving a voice to the younger generation

Iggy (also known as Iggy LDN) is a London-based artist, director and writer redefining society’s perceptions of blackness. Following on from his stand out short Black Boys Don’t Cry, he’s now released a four-minute narrative dance film, VELVET, rewriting the narrative of young black males automatically being linked to gang culture and crime in London and shedding light on losing a son from a mother’s perspective and . The short tells a story we have all heard on the news time and time again. However, it tells a side of it we don’t often see or hear about. Through an intimate portrayal of a mother’s intuition and grief, meditative movement from Michael Junior Onafowokan (in time with beautifully-hypnotising vocals from Father and KWABS) the film explores life beyond reductive headlines. We caught up with the 24-year-old creative to talk pain, politics and the power of visual storytelling.
FilmShorts

Hey Iggy – what is the main message behind your film VELVET?

I think the main message that I’d like people to take from Velvet is that knife crime is an epidemic which is still incredibly live in our communities and the way in which we deal with the issues within knife crime and youth violence should be at the centre of our minds. Time and time again we lose touch to the victims of knife crime including the families that it directly affects. We need to start seeing it as a community issue rather than a political issue.

Where and when did you start filming?

I started filming the film in July after I had a lot of thought about how it would feel. I wanted to make sure I got this perfect and the film was as authentic as possible. I shot the film in a council estate in east London.

How did Father and KWABS end up working on the music for this? Talk me through the collaboration process here… 

Joe Farley and Freddie Webb are the composition and sound design duo that make up Father. They composed the track together specifically for the film and then had the idea to bring Kwabs on board to do the vocals as they knew him through the studio they worked at. We sent the track to Kwabs’ manager who loved it – he sent it on to Kwabs who had the same response and it went from there!

Do you think film and art has the power to cause social change?

I think art has the ability to transform the way we see the world and provide us with new and fresh thoughts and some issues that may go unnoticed. I think art and film have always been mediums to heal and move people. I think if done in the right way, these two mediums are definitely necessary and important to creative work that we identify with and believe in.

How do you think film could play a part in re-writing the narrative of young black males automatically being linked to gang culture and crime in London? 

I think in order to solve these issues within our community, it’s important to understand who these issues directly affect. By pushing the conversation back to the more emotional element of the film, it will hopefully change our minds and give us a better understanding of the bigger picture.

Finally, are there any future creative projects you’re working on you can share with us? 

I’m working on quite a lot of music videos and short films in the near year and will hopefully be working on a bigger project that will be release in late 2019.

Follow Iggy on Instagram here. And watch VELVET below… 

Main imageCourtesy of Iggy LDN, still from 'Velvet'
TextEmma Firth
FilmShorts
You may also like

The nail edit — where to go in London for the best mani 

Beauty

“Squire’s a dude and I’m a dude” – Liam Gallagher and John Squire on joining forces and any hopes of an Oasis reunion

Cover starsMusic