British grime artist Skepta has announced the release of his first film, Tribal Mark, which he created after becoming frustrated with discussions over who would play the next James Bond. The film follows the life of a Nigerian immigrant called Mark, played by Skepta. Born to Nigerian parents, Skepta grew up in Tottenham, north London and his debut as a film producer, director and actor tells the story of Mark’s journey to London as a child and his struggle to fit in as a teenager which results in him being imprisoned for firearm possession.
Tribal Mark is part of Skepta’s vision of a new cinematic universe featuring black male leads. He has called the new character creation an “anti-hero” similar to James Bond. After winning the Mercury prize in 2016 for his album Konnichiwa, which featured songs such as That’s Not Me and Shutdown, Skepta’s music has evolved a lot, and his new album has a big focus on food, which comes through in the film as well, where he showcases Nigerian dinner staples such as pounded yam and Egusi soup.
The film, which has a 90% minority ethnic cast and production team, marks Skepta’s latest attempt to do away with the regular, over-utilised storylines and templates that are used to represent black people on the big stage. It pushes the narrative to new extremes by highlighting the disconnection of an immigrant in the UK, which has been a theme that is both personal and current for a lot of people. This new role has inspired him to take on the challenge as the film franchise already has several additional films in development, which he believes will shine a new light on what’s possible for black actors on the big screen.
Tribal Mark is due to be released in UK cinemas today, January 26th and has already sparked great interest from Skepta’s fans and the wider movie-watching audience. Critics and cinema-goers alike will be eager to discover how he will bring the diversity of black men on to the big screen in a way that can change perspectives and inspire new possibilities within and outside of his beloved black community, both in Britain and across the world
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