Sky Studios and DBK Studios today announce they are partnering for a series of short films to air on Sky Arts that nurture talent from Black and other diverse backgrounds. The initiative looks to increase and develop the representation of the Black community and empower up and coming creatives to tell their stories from an authentic perspective.

Unearthed Narratives is a five-part series of standalone short films that share a common theme of hard-hitting yet relatable stories, set across different generations and on a wide range of subjects; care work, sickle cell anaemia, social media culture, ‘middle-class hobbies’ in the Black community, racism in 1950’s England, and the culture within London housing estates.

The filmmakers came to the project with different levels of experience and were mentored through the production. They include Edem Wornoo, a well-established music video director who has worked on Dave’s Black and most recently Clash (ft. Stormzy), Charlene Wango who worked assisting Rapman while he directed his debut feature Blue Story with Paramount Pictures and BBC Films, Teniola Zara King who is a graduate of the London Film School and has worked as a producer in Nigeria on mainstream TV Dramas and Jessica Magaye who worked in production on Sex Education before starting her writing career, and Nikki Fagbemi, who was lead actress in an episode of Banana (E4), written by Russell T Davies.

The cast include: Stephen Odubola (Blue Story), Hope Ipoku and Malcolm Kamulete (Top Boy), Dorcas Shola Fapson (MTV’s Shuga), Ellis George (Small Axe: Lover’s Rock), Susannah Harker (BAFTA nominated for House of Cards, Granchester, Pride & Prejudice) and Paterson Joseph (Noughts and Crosses, Peep Show, Avenue 5).

DBK Studios was founded by Koby Adom (Haircut, Noughts + Crosses, Top Boy) in 2018. The Black-owned production company aims to give a voice and platform to stories and creatives that have been under-represented in British Film and TV, and to improve the representation of Black and diverse groups both on and off screen, providing opportunities for those who might not have access to the industry.

Koby Adom, founder of DBK Studios, says: “Before creating Haircut, I had no foot in the Industry but after making it, masses of opportunities have come my way and my film and TV career is steaming ahead with all the ideas I dreamt of executing now becoming a real possibility. However, coming into this industry, I experienced obstacles that I’d like to prevent other Black and ethnic minority filmmakers from unfairly experiencing. I want to help them get that first foot in the door and champion ownership because we have always had the fewest opportunities in the industry and when we do, we have no say in the business end of things.”

Manpreet Dosanjh, Commissioning Editor Sky Studios says: “Sometimes opportunities for Black and ethnic minority creatives to tell their stories can be on other people’s terms. For Unearthed Narratives, it was very important to us that these filmmakers had full editorial control with Sky Studios only there in a supporting role when we were needed. The ownership and vision of these films remains fully with the creatives and that’s what gives this project authenticity and integrity.”

Last year, Sky committed £30m over the next three years to support the fight against racial injustice alongside new targets to ensure that 20% of employees at Sky in the UK & Ireland are from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background by 2025, with at least a quarter of these to be Black.

Unearthed Narratives was commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts and Entertainment for Sky and Manpreet Dosanjh commissioning editor for Sky Studios. The series is produced by DBK Studios and executive producers for the show are Koby Adom, Dola Araoye and Domenique Fragale and lead producer Danielle Goff.