Black new wave bites the bullet

When John Singleton released Boyz n the Hood in 1991, he started a revolution. It was a depiction of troubled youth, set against a backdrop of sex, drugs, slang, gratuitous violence and wicked tunes. Now a spate of like-minded films in the UK has signalled the possibility of a similar urban film market developing here, relevant both to generation-grime kids and to everybody else who finds the subculture rather fascinating.

Since 2004's Bullet Boy, the tale of a two brothers enduring the trials of living in a brutal east London, a trend of independent films with shared themes and issues have come to the fore of British cinema. The first British Urban Film Festival (Buff) took place earlier this year to highlight new projects, following the popular interest in Kidulthood and the urban-star-studded Rollin' with the Nines, the winner of the Best British Feature at the 2005 Raindance film festival.

"When something makes money, then loads of other people start to jump on the bandwagon," says Arvind Ethan David, the executive producer of the forthcoming Sugarhouse Lane. "Over the years we've had Bullet Boy and Kidulthood. They did well, people saw that there was an audience that was responding and so more follows."

The next notable films in line include Life and Lyrics, the aforementioned Sugarhouse Lane and London State of Mind.

Life and Lyrics has already been dubbed the British version of Eminem's 8 Mile, and once again sees the former So Solid MC and Bullet Boy star Ashley Walters shine in a fable of ghetto love. He plays Danny, a passionate DJ who fronts The Motion Crew, a bunch of skilful south London MCs who reflect that un-inhibited zeal that makes them quite authentic on the big screen. Danny soon falls for the posh Carmen, a relative of a member from the rival Hard Cash Crew whom they're expected to face-off in a local battle. Throw in some violence, mushy love scenes, some hip-hop joints and you've an entertaining flick.

"For me, it's such a good movie, touching the lifestyle of a real Britain in a way that makes it kind of accessible," says Walters. "A lot of people are expecting it to be hardcore, about guns and drugs and this and that - but it's more about the positive side of what goes on in certain situations. It's giving people a different perspective."

That's the reason why many of these urban films resonate with viewers - not only are they telling interesting stories, but they're offering a genuine insight into a world rarely documented for a wider audience. Noel Clarke, the writer and star of Kidulthood, says that they are helping to break down stereotypes of black and inner-city communities, and are steeped in the kind of social realism that draws a thin line between fact and fiction.

"I just wanted to get across stuff that I'd seen when I was young myself, and what young people are going through today," says Clarke, "and sort of making sure that people were aware of that, because I think a lot of young people get ignored - a lot of people in power think they know everything, but they don't actually know anything."

"I think it's important to do these kinds of films because it shows what's really going on in the English world," agrees Pikki, a producer of Rollin' with the Nines. "Nobody makes a fuss about Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but when it's a black guy with a gun in his hand, everybody makes mayhem about it. But that's just how it is."

The growing popularity of such films is also allowing the very social groups they depict to get in on the movie act. Dice Recordings is an underground label that was responsible for Channel 4's urban interactive series Dubplate Drama. The bosses at the label are now finishing off London State of Mind, a grimy depiction of gang violence in north London. Kevin Legend, the writer, director, and producer of the low-budget film, says it's easy to make the leap from the music to the film game, given many of these films' heavy reliance on a soundtrack from the streets. "There's also a culture in the UK of DIY, and people are just realising that if they can write a script for a music video than they can do films," he adds. "And I think that has caught on. Also, people have to be made aware that there are black films coming out of this country. You don't have to look across to the States. "

The dilemma, however, in the development of an urban film industry in the UK lies in the conflict between films with commercial value and films with street integrity. Rollin' with the Nines had some absurd scenes of violence that'd have investors hiding their chequebooks, but gained kudos from the streets for "keeping it real", added to by its inclusion of Dizzee Rascal and Kano in cameo roles. Bullet Boy and Kidulthood, on the other hand, both partly funded by the Film Council, have been accused of being ridiculously moralistic and too saccharin because of the council's educational remit.

"When we did our film, we didn't sugar-coat anything," says Legend. "Bullet Boy doesn't represent the black community. It's an alright film and I think Asher D is a great actor but it doesn't show a true reflection. Everyone's afraid of being painted with this idea of stereotyping. Our film content is sex, drugs and violence, but the film has a very strong meaning at the end. If I didn't put that stuff in there, people would say we weren't highlighting real issues."

Changes in technology have made producing all sorts of films easier, but Clarke is concerned that, with everyone becoming film-makers, the quality of movies could take a back seat. "Everyone can almost do them now - so more films will get made, but will the quality suffer, because if everyone is going for the cheap fix?" he asks.

Then there's the bigger question of funding. In the US, black-orientated films are a dime a dozen, and many film-makers (including rappers) have been able to side-step Hollywood in order to cultivate this unique market. It's another matter in England, says Clarke, and things are not yet looking promising. "There's not enough money around to make the movies," he says. "In America, you can have films that are just made all day long. Over here, you're lucky to get one made a year. We've been extremely privileged this year that we've had Kidulthood and that we've had Rollin' with the Nines, and we've got Life and Lyrics. That's three films that have mainly black casts in one year, which is almost unheard of. But they all have the same sort of subject-matter. It's music or gangsters or thugs, and people need to evolve from that and it's difficult."

But film-makers haven't been deterred by issues of funding or stereotyping. The long-anticipated urban thriller Sugarhouse Lane, also starring Andy Serkis and Steven Mackintosh, looks set to add further credibility to the UK urban-film genre.

"The more films like this that can develop... I think is a very good thing," says David. "I think we will rejuvenate an industry which is otherwise embarrassingly white and embarrassingly male and embarrassingly in its sixties."

Clarke agrees. "I think there is a market for these sorts of movies. These are films that people want to see, but there are people in power that don't want to make them, and they're surprised when they do well. But they shouldn't be surprised because there are people who want to see films like this, and every time a film comes out like Bullet Boy or Kidulthood it proves that people want to see them. I think the popularity and the audience is there if the people in power make the films."

'Life and Lyrics' opens today