‘Sometimes in life, things are just meant to be’ – my journey bringing the issues around air pollution to life through film
In this blog, Creator and Filmmaker, Ade “Rowdy Sharman” Bademosi talks about the life changing journey he embarked on to explore the effects of air pollution and how he turned this into a creative piece of work, the short-film, Fuming.
Sometimes in life, things are just meant to be. The coming together of certain individuals, creating moments that are just unforgettable for a lifetime. This is certainly one of those journeys.
Looking back to last October, I was first introduced to Keisha Simms and the Air Pollution Forum team consisting of a great group of people including Muhammed, Georgina, Betty, Josh and Sylvana, amongst other fantastic people.
I never thought air pollution would be a topic that would capture my imagination the way that it has. I have come to understand that air pollution is a conversation that is as separatist as other parts of our beautiful society. It radiates a very “this is for us and not for you” type of vibe.
Honestly speaking - this was also my attitude when I was first asked to join the forum as the Director of the film that TSIP and Keisha wanted to produce. However, the congregation of people that came together to work on this project has shown that it needs to be anything but an exclusive agenda for only one type of person. From day one when I sat and spoke with the team, I knew that this was a space where we could make a difference. Listening to the expert academics from King's College London and to campaigners who have been taking this fight to the policymakers for years, it was evident to me that the facts alone would not be enough. This feeling was further compounded along the road as I learnt about the death of a young 9-year-old girl, Ella Roberta, from South London that occurred in 2013, after being in the hospital 27 times in the space of 3 years. This hit me hard because of my own previous experiences with losing a child to reasons ruled as just, ‘Life’.
This confirmed that the academic approach that has been tried and tested, and useful to some extent, is now a dry and outdated form of enlightenment. As a creator, I have always believed in the power of film and art as a way to convey a truthful message. Now we have a strong narrative of the young dying at the hands of the murderous tyrant, known to us as simply ‘air pollution.’ This became my fuel for needing to create the film, “Fuming”. My ignorance on the subject matter acted as a source of motivation for me to learn more about the harmful effects of PM2.5, PM10, N02 and C02.
Part of this journey was to understand more about how those that are being disproportionately affected by their environment are not the ones who are the main contributors to its destruction. I genuinely became empowered and more conscious about my environment and the oscillating relationship between myself and the world around me.
The following weeks took me back to my university days when I would immerse myself in my research. During this period things began to slow down as they often do when you are trying to make things happen that are not part of the norm. Even so, the muses of life would still speak to me, when after a seven-year legal battle with the loving and fair British judicial system, the mother of the young girl was finally able to receive the rightful acknowledgement that her daughter was in fact killed by air pollution and not just asthma. The first of its kind and a wonderful push in the right direction and a strong impetus to getting this film made (shout out to Josh - if you know, you know).
Over the next couple of months, I worked hard on producing “Fuming” with the support of my girlfriend, Charlotte and Keisha. Going deep to get the artistic vision clear so that we could start a whole new conversation on this agenda. March came and went and myself and my team (Jake, Conor, Charlotte, Jerry, Josh and Malik) had finished shooting the film with the help of the community researchers that had been involved in the process from day dot. The next few months saw weeks of editing and re-editing where I had the assistance of my lovely editor Jake. Test viewings with the team and the funders, Impact on Urban Health occurred with vital feedback...And then nothing. But then we had to ask ourselves: where do we go from here?
That was until June of this year when, during a conversation with Keisha, the inspiration for a screening was formed- seeing this as the best possible way for us to publicly showcase “Fuming.” A screening would help us continue on our own movement, building on all this wonderful work that had taken place over the best part of the year. Remember when I said sometimes things in life are just meant to be? This screening was just that. With the wonderful help of Keisha, Jen, Sylvana and Tyler we had a wonderful evening on the 22nd of July at the official screening of “Fuming”. The event brought together poets, rappers and singer-songwriters and members of the community, who all helped make the night – and the creative project - exactly what I always knew it could be.
I can truly say that I have learnt a lot from this process that it will always help to bring light to a grey day. Everyone taught me so much and gave me a beautiful opportunity to express myself in the ways that I love to do.
Peace and Love,
Ade “Rowdy Sharman” Bademosi
Ade Bademosi, also known as ‘Rowdy Sharman’, is a London-based creator, filmmaker, and was the Director, Producer, Writer of the short-film: Fuming.
Rowdy Sharman’s crowdfunding campaign for his latest creative project, Stripped Stories is now LIVE on IndieGoGo. In his own words:
“Stripped Stories will open up the issue of Air Pollution to a wider audience by showcasing the voices of those on the periphery of this subject. As we enlighten the world on the voices of the underrepresented as they demand to be heard on this issue, this documentary series will open up a whole new conversation.”
Directed & Created by Rowdy Sharman
DOP & Edited by Jake Bryan-Amaning