Yero Timi-Blu
Directed by
Year
2023
Starring
Busayo Ige - Bisola
Corinna Brown - Ashlee
Adrianna Bertola - Charlie
Krysstina Frampong - Tiyah
Rebecca Dike - Aisha
Bruno Cryan - Tom
Charlie Baker - Harry
Dan Galsford - Mr Flannery
Daniel Adeosun - Malachi
With Tomi Edbowon-Ogunjobi - Ronke
Maisie Smith - Saffron
Navigating adolescence in Benfleet, Essex hasn't been straightforward for British-Nigerian Bisola. She's done her best to fit in, but even her two best friends Charlie & Saffron, who love her to bits, seem to be understanding her less and less recently. However, after an incident at her high school shunts her into the orbit of the only other Black girl in her year - the gorgeous, irrepressible Ashlee, who is everything Bisola wishes she could be - Bisola is plunged into a journey of discovering a whole new side of herself.
Based on writer/lead actress Busayo Ige’s real-life experiences of growing up in the coastal regions of Essex (South East England) - ESSEX GIRLS explores how it feels to be a Black girl in a mostly white regional space, how to find self-love in a sphere that doesn't always accommodate you, the magical power of female friendships and Black girl magic. All wrapped inside a warm, funny, nostalgic vision of 2009 Britain - the era of UK garage revival, Jane Norman bags, and BBM.
Time: 15 mins
Genre: Drama, Coming Of Age
Language: English
Busayo Ige
Written by
Angela Moneke
Simon Hatton
Produced by
Festivals & Screenings
Sundance Film Festival 2024
BFI London Film Festival 2023 - Nominated, Best Short Film
Hamptons International Film Festival 2023
S.O.U.L Fest 2023 - Winner, Best Director
Leeds International Film Festival 2023 - Nominated, Best Short Film
Cambridge Film Festival 2023
London Short Film Festival - Black Country 3.0
British Shorts Film Festival Berlin
Pan African Film Festival
Awards
BAFTA, Best British Short Film - Longlisted