Last Friday, I was lucky enough to attend a screening of “Riot from Wrong”, a documentary produced by Fully Focussed. This youth-led project aimed to discover the truth behind last summers riots, it’s causes and its consequences.

What I saw was a truthful and thoughtful film that acknowledged the wrongdoing of those who committed crimes in the riots, but also came to terms with the long and short-term failures that young people have suffered at the hands of their seniors.

Produced with professional finish and never losing an ounce of integrity, this film spoke for the people who, so the film argues, are silenced. There were lawyers, MPs and young people all singing from the same hymn sheet, and the method of articulation didn’t seem to matter as we watched a huge range of voices saying the same thing: when it comes to the riots, lies were told, the law was broken on all sides and people were let down.

What’s most exciting about this documentary is that is displays perfectly what an empowered voice can do with the right dedication and support. The creators of this film, mostly young people, managed to cast doubts over news reports from the most established sources in the media and have their voice cut through what a lot of the country was saying at the time. StudentVoice can learn a lot from this, and I hope Riot from Wrong becomes widely available to watch very soon, not only for the riots, but also for an amazing lesson in making your voices heard.

Thanks again to Fully Focussed for producing such an amazing piece of film. I really encourage you all to follow them on twitter, @UKFullyFocussed

 

Josh