A tender story of Black queer love has received one of the UK's highest film honours, with the animated short 'Two Black Boys in Paradise' winning a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA).
The nine-minute stop-motion film, which won in the British Short Animation category, follows teenagers Eden and Dula on a journey of love and self-acceptance. The official synopsis describes their story as one where their refusal to hide their love for each other "lands them in a paradise free from shame and judgement."
The film is based on a poem by the award-winning writer Dean Atta, who co-wrote the script with producer Ben Jackson. In interviews, the creators have spoken about the personal motivations behind the project, which took a team of over 100 people five years to complete.
Atta explained that he wanted to create a narrative centered on joy, a contrast to the often tragic portrayals of Black and queer characters he saw growing up. "I saw Black and queer stories but they were always tragedies," he told reporters at the event. "There are some struggles within our story but they overcome and they’re celebrated and they’re joyous at the end and that’s what I needed to see when I was younger."
For producer Ben Jackson, the film was also a personal journey. He noted that he grew up under the influence of Section 28, a controversial UK law in effect from 1988 to 2003 that forbade schools and local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality. This climate of suppression meant he did not come out until he was 30.
"My whole school life, being queer wasn’t allowed to be talked about in a positive way," Jackson said. "I really wanted to make a queer film to help me along my journey of self acceptance and also then to put something out into the world that other people can see and feel seen."
While the award was not presented during the main televised broadcast, its recognition by a major industry body is significant. Atta said he hopes the win sends a message to the wider film industry. "Hopefully this is saying something to the industry that we need more of these types of stories to be told," he stated. "We need the resources, the budget, for us to tell our stories our way.”
The film is narrated by Jordan Stephens, known as part of the duo Rizzle Kicks, with actor Arun Blair-Mangat voicing the two main characters. It is currently available to stream on Channel 4's service in the UK, with potential for wider international distribution in the future.
