Ealing’s Dean Atta Wins BAFTA for British Short Animation
Huge congratulations to Ealing’s own Dean Atta on winning the BAFTA for British Short Animation for Two Black Boys in Paradise. It is a fantastic achievement and one the whole community can be proud of.
The film tells the story of Eden, 19, and Dula, 18, two young Black men whose deep love for one another and refusal to hide it leads them to imagine a “paradise”, a space free from shame, judgement, racism and homophobia. In this tender, dreamlike world they experience affection, safety and self-acceptance.
The narrative is set against a more hostile real world where the characters face marginalisation and discrimination, including being wrongly accused of stealing and subjected to police attention. The contrast underscores experiences many Black queer people face, while celebrating Black queer joy, love, belonging and identity.
The project began as a poem in Dean’s acclaimed collection There is (still) love here. For the screen adaptation he served as co-writer alongside Baz Sells and Ben Jackson, executive producer and the poetic voice of the film itself. Drawing on his lived experience, Dean helped shape the story from script to storyboard and played a key role in creative decisions throughout production.
In interviews Dean has described the film as a continuation of his wider work exploring love, identity and acceptance, particularly for Black queer people, and as an opportunity to bring those themes to new audiences through animation.
We are incredibly proud to see such powerful storytelling recognised on a national stage.
You can read our Q&A with Dean from late last year here.
Photo credit: BBC
