The film Silence the Violence, which depicts how pupils can report knife crime and what to do if they think someone is carrying a knife in school, has premiered in Rochdale.
Commissioned by Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership, the film was developed by local young people, supported by the council's youth justice team and filmed by Breaking Barriers and producer Nick Farrimond.
The film was shown to a full house at Reel Cinema, with the audience including the Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale and the families of the young people involved in the film’s production.
Silence the Violence features young people talking about how their perceptions have changed around knife crime. The film includes an interview with an ex-offender, who explains how he wishes that he had made different choices in life.
The premier also featured an interview with the late MP, Sir Tony Lloyd, who regularly advocated for young people and vulnerable people. The commitments he made in the film will now be taken up by Councillor Janet Emsley, joint deputy leader and cabinet member for equity, safety and reform.
Councillor Emsley said:
“I will act on the powerful commitments that Sir Tony Lloyd made and spread the message from the film far and wide. We are all so proud of Ariful, Emily, Hamsa, Richard and Muheen, who produced and feature in Silence the Violence. They represent over 1,300 voices that responded to the knife crime survey that shaped the film. It was a moving and thought provoking afternoon.”
The film will be shown in schools around the borough and can be viewed on the council’s YouTube channel.