Birmingham gangster film accused of encouraging gun crime
A gangster movie shot in Birmingham’s most notorious gun-crime neighbourhoods was accused of glamorising the lives of real life killers.
Hip-hop gangster film 1 Day, which was shot on the streets on Handsworth using teenagers from the area, has been criticised for encouraging impressionable youngsters to join violent criminal gangs.
It is believed former members of the Johnson Crew and Burger Bar Boys advised film makers in a bid to make the plot as realistic as possible.
The controversial movie, which is set to be shown in cinemas in November before being aired on Channel 4, has been described as “Gang life for the MTV generation”.
It tells the story of a gangster who is pursued by a rival gang after being released from prison.
The plot echoes last summer’s city shootouts which ended in the murder of Dimitri Foskin and Dominique Grant.
Police later revealed the killings were triggered by the release of a real life Birmingham gangster, resulting in a gangland battle for territory.
Coun Keith Barton, chairman of Birmingham’s reducing gang violence scrutiny committee, said: “There is no doubt this film is glamorising gun crime on the streets of Birmingham.
