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🎬 Written by Milly James based on letters written by her father an Afro Caribbean coal miner in Nottingham
🌟Starring Jorden Myrie (Bridgerton, Sherwood, Mood, The Strays)
🛠️ Produced by Simply Thrilled in collaboration with Foyle River Films
🎥 Funded by the BFI Network with additional community backing and private investment
📍 Shot on location at the National Coal Mining Museum
In a Nottinghamshire pit in 1954, a young miner named Morris walks a fine line - between being accepted and being targeted, between the surface and the underground, between silence and solidarity.
We’re All Black Down Here is a fictional film, but it's rooted in real lives - in the migration of the Windrush generation, in the racial tensions of 1950s Britain, and in the forgotten sweat and sacrifice of black miners in the UK’s industrial past.
The title says it all: down in the dark, the colour of your skin shouldn’t matter. But the truth is more complicated.
Race and class often sit awkwardly side-by-side in British film. We wanted to confront both - honestly, poetically, and without a whiff of preachiness.
The story? Morris starts his first week at a colliery where he’s the only black face underground. What begins with subtle locker-room jokes spirals into something more insidious - but also more nuanced. This isn’t a two-dimensional tale of villains and victims. It’s about brotherhood, society, and the strange intimacy of shared danger.
Morris finds an unlikely ally in a quiet, gangly lad named Clem. Together, they form a bond which transcends prejudice - even as the ground shifts beneath their feet.
🎬 A narrative film set entirely within a functioning coal mine
🧠 A fully developed script with BFI Network support and creative feedback
🎥 A cinematic shoot with period-accurate costumes, tools and production design
🎭 An ensemble cast including stage veterans and rising talent
🌒 A grade and sound mix which recreated the oppressive darkness of a coalface
⚒️ A companion community engagement plan for schools and local screenings
🧑🏽🦱 Morris’s character was shaped by oral histories and interviews with black miners who entered the workforce post-Windrush as well as the writer’s father’s memoirs.
🏗️ We filmed inside a real coal mine – 200 metres underground, pitch-black shafts, dripping ceilings, the works. The lighting rig was carried by hand for most shots.
💰 We completed the film thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and private investment from a backer in Los Angeles.
🎭 Casting director Shakyra Dowling helped us find incredible talent
🎓 A wellbeing facilitator was on set throughout, thanks to our partnership with 6ft From The Spotlight to keep our talent mentally and physically well.
🏆 Will be entered into film festivals internationally via our festival strategist partners
📽️ Featured in BFI Network showcase screenings
🎟️ Community events planned across former pit towns and black history heritage spaces
🛠️ Early development underway for a feature-length version of the film
As the recent riots have shown, issues of immigration and race in Britain are rarely far from the headlines. But this isn’t just a film about racism. It’s about society, finding a sense of belonging and comradeship.
