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ON POINT: Noel Clarke says it’s time for the black British film industry to move on from ‘hood’ dramas

LOVE HIM or loathe him, you can’t say Noel Clarke isn’t pioneering. From his groundbreaking 2006 street drama Kidulthood and its 2008 sequel Adulthood, to the 2010 diamond heist adventure 4.3.2.1, to this year’s Olympic-inspired flick Fast Girls, the successful writer, director, producer and actor, has sought to push the boundaries of black British filmmaking.

“I feel like it’s important for me as a filmmaker to keep evolving,” Clarke confirms. “And as a person in general, I think it’s important to always want to progress and do better. But more specifically, as a member of the black community, I’ve seen that we have progressed so far, and it’s now time to move on.”

Clarke is referring specifically to what some have deemed a barrage of ‘road’ dramas that have reflected a particular side of black British youth culture; namely the side where the protagonist hails from an inner-city council estate and dabbles in the type of activities (sometimes drugs, sometimes violence) that often see them trying to avoid ending up on the wrong side of the law.

Having penned the films Kidulthood and Adulthood – which spawned similarly-themed TV dramas like West 10 LDN (BBC), Fallout (Channel 4) and Top Boy (Channel 4) – Clarke doesn’t shy away from the part he played in bringing such street dramas to our screens.

“If people wanna say this [street dramas] trend is my fault, I’ll take that on the chin,” he says. “I’m proud that I did those films and I’m proud that they spawned more, because if I hadn’t made those films, we wouldn’t have had as many black actors on screens as we’ve had in the past few years.”

STREET SMART: Clarke with Adam Deacon in Adulthood

Still, the BAFTA-winning actor believes that it’s now time to move on. He has already led by example, through his aforementioned films 4.3.2.1 and Fast Girls (both of which took the focus off ‘road’ boys and instead put the spotlight on female characters), and now, the 36-year-old has gone alien adventure with his sci-fi drama Storage 24. (Is it any wonder his film and TV production company is called Unstoppable Entertainment?)

Set in south London, Storage 24 follows a group of acquaintances, who become locked in a storage unit after a cargo plane crashes and causes chaos in the city. Trapped in a dark maze of endless corridors, they soon discover they’re being hunted by an out-of-this-world predator.

Suffice to say, Storage 24 (in which Clarke stars, alongside Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Colin O’Donoghue and Laura Haddock), is a huge leap from Kidulthood. And for Clarke – who is no stranger to sci-fi, having starred in the TV drama Dr Who, and having been cast in the hugely anticipated upcoming film Star Trek 2 – it was a necessary change of pace.

“I did Kidulthood; it was done well. Adulthood was a change, in that Sam [Noel’s character in the film, who was recently released from prison] wanted to change his life and not do the things he used to do.

CHANGING THE GAME: Clarke with actress Laura Haddock in a scene from his new sci-fi adventure Storage 24

“Now, I don’t think we need to be seen as those guys anymore; angry guys swinging bats. Those types of films were a call for attention, as if to say ‘we [black actors and filmmakers] are here’ – much like films like Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society were in America 15, 20 years ago.”

He continues: “But after that, black American films moved on and I think we need to do the same in the UK. That’s why I did 4.3.2.1. It was a conscious choice not to make a third ‘hood’ film, but to instead make a film about four girls. Now, Storage 24 shows people from our community that you can be in a film fighting aliens. It’s not just Will Smith that can do that [in Men In Black] – you can do it! And not only can you do it, but you don’t have to die first!

“So I really hope Voice readers will go and watch it because I think this film will change a lot of things.”

Though the married, father-of-two insists he’s not a Black Panther-type campaigner, Clarke, who was born in London to Trinidadian parents, does believe it’s important to not forget where you come from.

YES WE CAN: Clarke says that black British actors can fight aliens just like Will Smith did in Men In Black

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some black militant who’s going around waving my fist,” he says. “My wife’s Portuguese; my oldest son can count to 10 in French, Portuguese and English. But I don’t forget what I am and where I’m from, and what my mum went through to get me to where I am today.

“So for me and for our community, this film is important. We’re fighting aliens now! Can you imagine five years ago someone saying, ‘we’re gonna be fighting aliens in films’? You would’ve been like, ‘with what? A bat and a crowbar, talking about ‘what you saying fam, you come from next planet, innit?’ But no, we’re legitimately fighting aliens now – and my character wears a suit, not a hoodie.

He adds: “Now, if a young black guy or girl has a film idea about fairies at the end of their garden, they can think, ‘I can do that.’ And when they take it to a movie studio in the future, no-one can say to them, ‘no, you can’t do that’, because they’ll be able to say, ‘well, Noel Clarke made a film about aliens, so why not?’ So I hope this film will open doors.”

Storage 24 is in cinemas from June 29 through Unstoppable Entertainment