Interview with Euros Lyn (Director)
Gripping, feature-length drama that tells the true story of the family of Damilola Taylor, going beyond the headlines to reveal a surprising and affecting portrait of family, fatherhood, loss and love.
Published: 26 October 2016
I want the audience to understand what it felt like to be the Taylors and to lose a boy they loved so much.
What attracted you to direct this drama?
Levi’s excellent script. I read it in one go sat on a park bench, and wept and laughed and felt that this was a hugely important story to share with the world.
Were you daunted by the responsibilities of handling real events and characters?
It was important that I approached it like any other drama and told the most powerful, moving story I could. I trusted Levi and the Producers to research and write a script that was an accurate version of what really happened - my job was to tell that story the best I could.
What are you proudest of?
I’m proud of having brought together so many talented cast and crew who really cared about telling this story. When I watch it, I can feel that it’s film into which everyone from the runner to the executive producer put their heart and soul.
Why do you think it is important that we tell the story of the Taylor family?
Sixteen years on from Damilola’s death, knife crime is a problem that steals the lives of kids. These are crimes often committed by perpetrators with no concept of the consequences of their actions. I wanted to make a film that makes the viewer understand how terrible it might be to lose a son, a brother by making them empathise with the Taylors.
What were your biggest challenges?
Casting should have been a huge challenge but I was lucky to have Shaheen Baig as my casting director who introduced me to the most wonderful actors.
Before we started I worried about how difficult it might be to cast a whole family that felt authentically Nigerian and resembled the Taylors. But when we started to look, we realised that there are many, many wonderful actors who fitted the brief. We need more dramas like this to make the most of the talent that’s out there.
The biggest practical challenge was moving our film unit in the South London traffic (it’s a nightmare). Also, Peckham is directly beneath the flight path for Heathrow so we were always trying to fit our takes into the 90 seconds between jumbo jets.
How did you approach the challenge as a film-maker, in terms of the visual style and language?
I wanted this story to feel truthful, so making something that felt real was essential. But it’s also a story about father and son, about parents wanting the best for their kids, about what it means to be alive and of course it’s about loss and grief. So we worked hard to find a style that was in turn real and poetic.
Did you use any existing ‘real’ content – i.e CCTV footage?
Everything in our film is staged but based on research of the real events; so the CCTV shots of Damilola’s last movements were re-created in the exact places where he was last seen. (This was a particularly soulful scene to film).
What would you hope the audience might take away from the drama?
I want the audience to understand what it felt like to be the Taylors and to lose a boy they loved so much.
