BUFF BLOG (FEBRUARY 2012)

There are of course exceptions to this rule, one of them being the actor and now fully fledged director Aml Ameen who is twice striking whilst the iron is hot with both his acting and his filmmaking taking centrestage in 2012. Another exception is Adam Deacon who, earlier this month followed in the footsteps of another exception (Noel Clarke) in winning the public vote and bagging himself a BAFTA in the process. Co-incidence or calculated strategy?

Whatever one thinks, there is nothing to say that actors can’t be directors as well as producers and writers. Take the issue of BUFF to one side, there are in fact countless British actors who have become directors – award-winning directors in their own right.

It was in last month’s blog where Aml Ameen took the view that it was only a matter of time before street films (by which we mean the likes of ‘Anuvahood’) were nothing more than carcasses left bare with no life left in them. Are we to assume that Adam Deacon’s triumph signals more of the same - ‘riding the wave’ as it were, or maybe perhaps ‘a changing of the guard’, a view shared by Aml and many considerable others including BUFF who celebrate diversity in its’ truest form; culturally, artistically, commercially – ultimately it is in the eye of the beholder.

Writing exclusively for BUFF, read the thoughts now (and indeed re-post and retweet them) of Aml Ameen in the final part of his blog and the state of the UK film industry as he sees it…

Success of peers (Actors turned filmmakers)

I’m very proud of my peers; filmmakers and actors alike that have been part of a pioneering generation. I believe that for all the criticism I’ve made, there’s a movement happening.

My hope is that UK urban filmmakers, influential actors and actresses alike, will find time to collaborate more, creating commercial success on a par with our UK Urban music artists.

The movie star system works best (for the most part) in the American market.
Our young industry needs to model itself on that and create young stars (i.e. our own Will Smiths, Denzel Washingtons, Quentin Tarantinos, Al Pacinos & Halle Berrys). The calibre of these names gets audiences excited and rushing to the movie theatres. It is happening here in the UK I'm happy to say, let’s just keep pushing more.

My Hollywood Experience (Opportunity and reality check)

For any actor who's coming over to the states, an important thing to know, is that you're pretty much starting again, unless you have the luck of having a film which is or has played internationally and having what they call ‘heat’ behind you.

You’re relying on your actual skills as an actor to get you ahead, and a good demo reel together with the work you've done at home in the UK serving as experience, and that’s pretty much it. There are a lot of us out here, some actors you're already aware of, some of whom you’ll be aware of soon, and others that pass themselves off as working actors.

AmeenDream Entertainment

My production company was formed as a remedy to my frustrations, as my own roll of the dice. And much like my peers, I have stories I wanna tell and characters that I'd love to play. So far, AmeenDream Entertainment has produced five short films, two music videos, and have four feature films on the desk, ready to be made.

All the shorts have been financed by me and the help of a few friends at different times.

‘12 The Damaged Race’ is my latest short film, shot over two days last Christmas, with guest appearances from Red Madrell, (Kidulthood), Femi Oyeniran (Kidulthood), John Bowler (PC Roger Valentine from ‘The Bill’) and Nabil Elouahabi (Eastenders). It’s a social commentary based thriller about the eventful year that was 2011 in London, told through the eyes of HERO, the main character. Its’ got a 2012 Olympic style feel to the film, with themes like the London riots, the student riots, and my thoughts on the UK urban film industry all told in an abstract way. The teaser has recently been released (WATCH HERE: http://youtu.be/rtlVbtfFOak)
We're entering the film into many festivals, and we will also have a screening at The AmeenDream Entertainment night I intend to do in London later this year.

In closing, I believe that there are a lot of great things ahead for this generation.
I think that we're using our disgruntled energy as a source of inspiration for creativity, and we’re seeing international success with the knock-on effect spreading to our peers.

We're in a good place; we just need to keep pushing, challenging and take action to keep evolving as UK artists (writers, directors, actors) - we need the financial support of the mainstream, but that’s a whole other debate.

UNTIL NEXT TIME : )

Thanks to BUFF and Emmanuel for giving me a voice. I''d like to hear from more professional filmmakers and actors, and implore them to get involved.

Aml Ameen