'We Aint Stupid' Documentary

The infamous explosion of the fireworks lighting up the London sky. The Queen. The lighting of the torch. The starters gun. Usain Bolt, captivating the sporting world. And of course, Jess Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo, inspiring a nation. A worldwide phenomenon that put East London on the map.
2007. The Olympics is coming. A nation is consumed by excitement. Mostly. Mitch Panayis is born and raised in Forest Gate. One mile from the Olympic stadium. One mile from the glamour. The heart of East London. Home to the greatest show on Earth. There's no shortage of pride, but there's a reality. For Panayis, and the other locals of Newham, there's an altogether different story to tell.
We Aint Stupid, a feature length documentary from Panayis' Endz Films production company, brings this story, the true story of the 2012s Olympic city, to life on screen. Set amongst the working class communities of Hackney, Stratford and East Ham, the film covers a period of five years, seeing through the early stages of Stratford redevelopment, all the way through to after the furore of the closing ceremony. A truly captivating series of events, expertly directed and narrated, this is a truly masterful piece.
Cleverly, in fact inspirationally narrated by Panayis himself, the context is elegantly set in the opening scene, and the film passes through its time at a steady and relevant pace.
The first striking impression is the way in which Panayis finds an honesty and a reality in his characters. It's a mark of the directors evident rapport with each, that there is no bravado, there is no easily discernible political viewpoint. It's real people, comfortable in discussing real life issues with no agenda other than the battle for their residential rights.
With smart use of lighting and sound to provide a truly authentic setting, The real mastery of this film is the way in which Panayis keeps the different characters and their relevant stories topical, time relevant and most importantly, engaging and interesting. Through a combination of insightful questioning focussing on real key issues, coupled with an 'up close' approach, you really feel like you get to the heart of the concerns and frustrations that these people feel.
With a number of different storylines, Panayis touches on all of the major issues that have affected this part of London over the past 5 years. Be it Aaron, an Olympic athletic hopeful, trying to provide for his young family as he attempts to overcome a lack of government investment in his training, DJ 2K and his crew of rappers, building a production studio only to see it ripped away as part of government land regeneration, or the traders of Queens market, fighting against corporate takeover which threatens their businesses and livelihood, the underlying message is that this is a community that is far from caught up in the hype, but in fact troubled by the side effect of fortunes being invested by the government in making London the centre of the world for just two weeks.
Its a theme of challenge and adversity, but Panayis offers a welcome balance throughout, ensuring that the locals' personality isnt lost. The intimate yet raucous pub celebrations around Upton Park as west ham win at wembley to clinch promotion from the 2nd division will tug on the emotions of any sports fan, whilst fruit & veg stall trader Gary brings the comedy factor, discussing the upcoming general erection (no typo) and quizzically assessing whether a 300% tax increase is ever so slightly above inflation.
But these traits are representative of the people, not the circumstance, and this is why this film is such a success. At a time when the worlds eyes were drawn to the hype and glamour of the olympic venues, this is a truly inspiring story of the real Olympic legacy. The endeavour, the heart and the courage, of the people of East London.
Review by James Glennard

[@OpticalTurnkey]

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[@mitcheyfilm]

Cheers!!!

[@heatpump8566]

Lost interest as soon as I saw the socialist workers party

[@mitcheyfilm]

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