Contra's Powerful Documentary Highlights the Plight of Young People in Trenchtown

Contra, a film production company in London, paired up with Kintsugi Hope charity to capture the story of the young and vulnerable people of Trenchtown. 

Contra take pride in working with brands and charities who are purpose driven – those who are making real world change through the work they do. John Ford, head of film at Contra and has been working with Patrick Regan OBE across his projects for almost two decades.

John Ford comments: “We’ve come to trust that if Patrick says something is important – it is important. When he asked if I was interested in heading to Trenchtown to look into the needs of the community, I knew there was good reason. As we headed into the streets we could see that there was a real need to break a cycle of violence, particularly amongst the children and teens of the community. There was evidence that a guidance counsellor had made a real transformative difference in other areas in Kingston and could make a considerable difference to the lives of the young and vulnerable people of Trenchtown. This short film explores the current situation in one of the most heartbreaking areas I’ve visited. We hope this film resonates with parents and families far and wide, and we can raise awareness and funds for this important cause.”

Watch the short documentary below to understand why raising funds for a guidance counselor is vital for the future of the community.

Contra editor, John Jeanes, was also excited by the chance to make a real difference in Trenchtown and describes his experience crafting this important story: “When John got back to the office and we started going through the rushes together, we realised straight away that it was going to be difficult cut down so much powerful footage into such a short film. Patrick has such an amazing way with people and operating in a community where he is known, he managed to get so many honest and heartfelt testimonies. Combining that with the striking and beautiful images John captured on the go, the focus of the edit became about trying to cut down the content without losing the heart and emotion of the wonderful people that were filmed. The resulting film manages to do that and importantly lets the people of the community speak for themselves about the issues they face and the incredible difference this campaign could make in their lives.”

Throughout the project the team worked closely with Patrick, Founder of Kintsugi Hope to make sure the messaging of the film was just right and that it would capture a sense of the real situation while offering a glimmer of hope.

“Trenchtown always drives my senses to overload, seeing sexual exploitation, poverty and gun violence. The hardest part of the trip was standing in front of a memorial where over 2,000 names of children who were killed in the war on the streets between different gangs were engraved. I am so grateful that we can make a small difference in this amazing community, if you want to be part of helping us to help them, please simply click here and donate,” said Patrick Regan OBE, founder, Kintsugi Hope.