London, 13 July 2023: The award-winning ‘Do It For Her’ film, co-commissioned by Ygam and partners, is to be screened at religious and community venues throughout the UK as part of a new tour.
The thought-provoking film was created to help raise awareness of the issue of gambling harms disproportionately impacting ethnic minority groups. Gangs of London star, Fady Elsayed, plays the lead role as a young Muslim man who is experiencing gambling harms and battling against the shame and stigma it brings within his community.
Created by Fully Focused Productions, the short film has already picked up accolades this year at the Charity Film Awards and the Narrative House Best of Stories global competition. Ygam will now bring groups together groups from all communities for a series of screenings to explore the socio-cultural and religious contexts on shame and stigma relating to gambling harms.
The film is poignant as it was created by individuals who have lived experience of the impact of gambling harms. It has been integrated as part of the Preventing Gambling Harms in Diverse Communities Programme and is effectively deepening the understanding of gambling harms and encouraging people to have open conversations.
Asma Akbar, Lead for Preventing Harms in Diverse Communities Programme at Ygam, said: “The film is incredibly powerful and very effective in helping us connect with communities to spread our messages around gambling harm prevention. Gambling is still a taboo subject amongst many groups, and this leads to individuals suffering in silence instead of accessing the support that is available. We’re collaborating with trusted community groups to bring people together to watch the film and then facilitate open conversations about what can be done to support and safeguard. Our first event was recently held at the Al Khizra Mosque in Manchester and the room was at full capacity which shows there is real interest in this important topic.”
Shehroze Khan, Director of the film, said: “The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s a real privilege to be able to make a film that has connected with so many people, particularly those who rarely see themselves accurately portrayed on screen. Through having a Muslim director, writer, and lead actor, Fully Focused were able to create an environment where authenticity was front and centre. Each screening of the film has led to important conversations that were otherwise simply not happening. We hope to continue these conversations to contribute towards the discussion in any way we can.”
The tour will kick off with a screening at TLC College in Wolverhampton in July. Ygam are organising events throughout the UK, targeting some of the most culturally diverse communities, including venues in London, Southampton, and Yorkshire.
For more information about Ygam and our portfolio of education programmes, please email training@ygam.org.
