SKIN DEEP
2001, 13.5 mins

It’s 1979. Romo is 15 and mixed race. He lives on a run down all white East End council estate with his mother and younger sister, Jameela. But, while Jameela is dark skinned, Romo can, and does, pass for white.

Haunted by memories of racial abuse and violence suffered throughout his childhood, Romo has taken to concealing his mixed race identity and begins to hang around with a gang of overtly racist white youths.

Written in the violent language of the inner city, our film Skin Deep charts one night with Romo and his mates. It follows the pain and the contradiction inherent in his self-denial, as he struggles to make himself acceptable to his companions. A racist club comedian, an attack on an Asian youth, and a confrontation with Jameela combine to push Romo’s internal conflict to the limit. He faces himself in the mirror - two cultures, two identities. Irreconcilable.

Contact: Andy Porter  020 7538 8079