Two Black Boys in Paradise: Dean Atta on Love, Identity, and Coming Home to Ealing
When Ealing-born writer Dean Atta took to the stage at this year’s Ealing Film Festival to accept the Best Animation Award for Two Black Boys in Paradise, it was more than just another accolade in an already celebrated career. For Atta, who attended Twyford Church of England High School and still calls Ealing home, the win marked a deeply personal full-circle moment.
Two Black Boys in Paradise - a stop-motion short produced by One6th Animation Studio and supported by the BFI Short Form Animation Fund - is adapted from Atta’s poem of the same name, featured in his acclaimed collection There is (Still) Love Here (Nine Arches Press, 2022). The film tells the story of Eden (19) and Dula (18), two young Black boys whose love and self-acceptance carry them to a paradise free from shame and judgement.
Narrated by Jordan Stephens (of Rizzle Kicks) and featuring non-verbal sounds by Arun Blair-Mangat (Kinky Boots, In the Heights), the film has captivated audiences across the globe - from Brussels and Los Angeles to Cardiff and New York - and continues to rack up awards along the way. But it was Ealing, Atta says, that made this particular win feel especially meaningful.
“It’s an incredible honour to win the Best Animation award at the Ealing Film Festival,” Atta said. “I’ve travelled far and wide to represent this film at festivals, from Brussels to Hollywood, but it was extra special to screen the film and receive an award in the borough I call home.”
Below, Dean Atta reflects on his creative journey, the power of poetry in motion, and what it means to find - and share - paradise close to home.
Interview: Dean Atta on Two Black Boys in Paradise
How does it feel to have Two Black Boys in Paradise recognised at your local Ealing Film Festival?
As soon as I heard there was an Ealing Film Festival, I asked our producer Ben Jackson to submit our stop-motion short film Two Black Boys in Paradise to it. I knew it would be a festival my family and friends could attend as it’s so local to us.
The quality of the films showing in the festival was exceptional from both local filmmakers and those from further afield. To win the Best Animation award was a great honour - and to be able to receive the trophy in front of family and friends meant I got to see the pride in their eyes the moment our film was announced.
Our film has won several awards now, but because this one was so close to home, it felt right that I collect it myself. I’ve had the pleasure of attending screenings in Brussels, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Cardiff and more - but Ealing was the first time I was actually present for one of our award wins.
What inspired you to adapt your poem into an animated short film?
Our producer Ben Jackson saw me perform the poem at an event in Berlin and asked if I’d let his company One6th make a stop-motion adaptation of it. Ben brought the poem to our director Baz Sells, who’s the co-founder of One6th, and they developed a visual story to accompany my poem.
They incorporated ideas from Ben’s own experience as a gay man who struggled with self-acceptance and didn’t come out until he was 30 years old.
Can you tell us about the creative process of turning poetry into animation - how did words become visuals?
From my perspective, as co-writer and executive producer, it felt like a series of small miracles turned my poem into an animation.
The first time I thought, “Wow, this is going to be incredible,” was when I saw the concept artwork by our art director Sanna Räsänen - especially the image of the two boys embracing underwater surrounded by coral. That’s when I knew the film was in the right hands.
Once we secured funding from the British Film Institute (BFI), the team brought together an incredible crew to build puppets and sets, light and shoot the film, edit it, and score the soundtrack.
I stayed mostly hands-off during production but joined remotely via Zoom and visited the studio once in Manchester. Later, I attended Abbey Road Studios when Jordan Stephens recorded the narration - a full-circle moment, as the project had started with my poem and ended with his voice bringing it to life.
Your work often explores themes of identity, love, and belonging - how have those themes evolved for you over time?
Love is the first thread in all my work. I write about my experiences of loving and being loved, so others might imagine themselves living a life of love.
The poem Two Black Boys in Paradise appears in my poetry collection There is (Still) Love Here, which explores family, friendship, romantic love and grief - which I also see as a form of love.
Identity and belonging are plaited together with love in my writing because we live in a society where people’s identities are still policed and politicised. Hence the line in the poem and film: “There are no police in paradise.”
You grew up and went to school in Ealing - how has the borough influenced you as a writer and creative?
I grew up in Brent but went to high school in Ealing and live here now. I went to Twyford Church of England High School and was the only out gay student when I came out at 15. I felt like no one could understand my experience back then.
Even as a teenager, I knew I wanted to write something that reclaimed the idea of the Garden of Eden for Black queer people - but it took years before I felt confident enough to do it. To me, paradise is where you feel safe to be yourself, and Ealing feels that way for me now.
I’ve performed locally at Middlesex Pride in Gunnersbury Park, Chiswick Book Festival, and of course, Ealing Film Festival. My boyfriend and I also love attending events by the West London Queer Project - laughter can be so healing.
I’m thrilled that Two Black Boys in Paradise is now available to watch on Channel 4 On Demand in the UK and Ireland for the next twelve months. While our film centres the Black queer experience, I hope people of all backgrounds see themselves in it - and most of all, that they see paradise as possible for them too.
