Pull Up Your Trousers

Life in East London caught on film

A new film initiative, ?Pull up your trousers,? is working with youths in Manor Park to develop a series of short films to show through their first-hand experiences, the trials and tribulations of growing up in East London.

The project which is funded by A2E Community Access Fund (CAF) and run by 4 Front Film Initiative, is working with a group of 14-22 year olds to develop three short films, with the aim of getting local youths interested in film production.

Pull Up your trousers, director, Bernard Kordieh says it is important to get youths involved in all of the processes involved in filmmaking including script-writing, finances, administration, castings as well as the technical aspects of film.

?Making films is an involved process, we need to teach them that it?s not just about having an idea and then going out and shooting it.? 

A six-strong junior production team has been recruited to work on the first film entitled ?Meet Marcus.? This short-film focuses on the life of an 18-year old male who falls in love with someone new each day.

?My team is tight, I call them the ?guerillas,? they go out there and get things done,? says Mr Kordieh.

Mr Kordieh says he came up with the idea for the project after being out on location shooting a film.

?When we were out shooting a film recently we were getting followed around like celebrities by a group of kids who were ?wowed? by what we were doing.  It made me realize that a lot of kids are really interested in filmmaking so I decided I needed to provide an outlet for their interest.?

Once all three short-films are completed Mr Kordieh says an official screening will take place at either the British Urban Film Festival or ?if they are really good they?ll get a slot on the community TV channel.?

The first film is expected to be completed by the end of January 2006.

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