One mile away

One Mile Away is a documentary film about two warring gangs in inner city Birmingham, Burger Bar (B21) and Johnson Crew (B6) and the attempts to bring peace to their neighbourhoods. The trailer of the movie highlights some real issues with known people in the area . . . This ting looks the real deal! Watch it on Channel 4 on Thursday 11th.

“A riveting portrait of the complex, contentious reality of the streets, and the courage it takes to make a difference, it could well be this year’s most important British film”- Time Out

The movie is directed by Penny Woolcock, the same person that did ‘1 Day’ One Mile Away was initiated by Shabba, a young man affiliated to the Johnson side who met Penny during the making of 1 Day. He saw her as neutral and as someone who had built trust on both sides. Penny was able to do something that former journalists (or outsiders) were unable to do. Birmingham Sunday Mercury journalist Amardeep bassey had spoken to gang members for years, spoke to victims, followed court cases and did research for a book which was never published, entitled ‘Homeboys’. 

Penny agreed to get involved and introduced Shabba to Dylan Duffus – the lead actor in 1 Day and affiliated to the Burger side. The film follows their painstaking journey over two years to recruit more supporters from both sides. Along the way, they get advice from Jonathan Powell, who oversaw the Good Friday Agreement, and the riots erupt in Birmingham, with surprising consequences.

Below is an interview given at a local school in Handsworth by 2 of the main people involved:

The main people involved in the productions include:

Matthias Thompson (Shabba) and Dylan Duffus (D-Boy)

Dylan Duffus aka D-Boy is one of the main reasons the #RoadToFreedom Tour is possible today. Alongside Matthias Thompson aka Shabba they set out on a mission to try and bring peace to a community that has been plagued with violence for years. Dylan is our head facilitator, he is a father of seven boys, so as you can imagine his experience is invaluable. Matthias is the man who reached out first and is one of the driving forces in our movement.He is very interested in finding ways to develop business projects in deprived areas and is a man of the community.

Simeon Moore (Zimbo)

Simeon Moore aka Zimbo was born in Birmingham and lives in Aston with his two kids. He first met Penny 5 years ago but only got involved in One Mile Away after seeing 1 Day. He is a big believer in a change of mentality. Zimbo believes that gangs are merely a symptom of a bigger problem and that rather than merely treating the symptom, which has been attempted many times before, we should tackle the bigger issue of mental well being. He believes unhealthy minds are one of the biggest problems facing young people of disadvantaged areas today. Zimbo is keen to see changes on the streets and in his community. 

Joel Eccleston (YT)

Joel Ecclestone aka YT was born in Chicago but grew up in Handsworth, while his dad stayed overseas in New York. His role models were the men in gangs on the streets. He first met Penny on 1 Day, five years ago and now his passion lies in connecting with young people most at risk of committing crime and joining a criminal gang. YT believes it is time for change and is committed to making it happen. YT is keen on getting young people to realise you can be ‘REAL’ in more ways than the streets would lead you to believe.

It’s good to see people have come a far way from the videos below. These man are looked upto by youngers on road and it’s good they are now trying to have a positive impact on people who could follow in their footsteps.

 Keep it locked to Supatrax for further info and a review.