Black History Month: Anti-racist film has premiere in Kendal

Fifty children have been involved in creating an anti-racist animated movie.

The Fell We Climb has taken two years to produce and has had its premiere in Kendal to coincide with Black History Month.

The animated film is ten and a half minutes long and portrays a powerful message.

It was co-created with Carlisle-based animation company Plus3k Studios and Anti Racist Cumbria's grass roots youth group Animated Futures.

Fifty children have been involved in the project overall, with 15 in the core team involved in the creation of the film, aged from nine to 17.

The team of inspirational young people was brought together by Anti Racist Cumbria in 2020 and the project began life as a space for young black and brown children to connect about what it means to grow up in Cumbria.

For many of these children it was the first time they had even met another young person who looked like them from the region.

Ainka Lobb, who was involved in the project, explained what he wanted people to feel after seeing The Fell to Climb.

He said: "I want them to think we're no different to them. And to understand how it feels when they are rude to us, and to feel inspired to change their ways."

The film will be screened in local cinemas in Cumbria, before being shown in schools across the county.

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