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George Amponsah had his cellphone stolen by a thief riding a moped. The director was stopped at a London intersection, using his phone for directions, when it was taken from his hand. “I saw the young person speeding away,” he says with a frustrated smile. “I tried to catch up but I didn’t have much luck. They turned into a housing estate and I never saw my phone again.”
When Amponsah was asked by a producer to create a movie about a group of moped riders, he was not very interested. At the time, the news was full of reports about a large amount of moped thefts. Headlines, politicians, and law enforcement all condemned the unknown criminals responsible for terrorizing the streets. Amponsah initially hesitated, thinking, “I’m not sure if I want to make something about these lawbreakers who are causing a lot of trouble.” However, he eventually saw it as an opportunity to tell a story about “wild, delinquent youths” and try to find the humanity in one of them.
Amponsah’s first full-length movie, Gassed Up, is soon to be released. The film follows Ash, a member of a moped gang who uses the money from small thefts to take care of his younger sister and drug-addicted mother. However, when his gang gets involved with an Albanian crime syndicate, Ash faces moral dilemmas about his choices. Starring Stephen Odubola, Taz Skylar, and Mae Muller in her first acting role, the film won the audience award for best feature at the BFI London film festival last fall.
Amponsah, speaking from a hotel room in San Diego where he is currently on vacation, explains that his goal was to share the journey of a young individual’s descent into criminal activity. He wanted to depict how this path ultimately leads to some form of redemption. When I mention the uncommon occurrence of victims empathizing with their perpetrators, he takes a moment to process this idea. After some reflection, he reveals that his own experience of being mugged taught him a valuable lesson about being mindful of potential dangers. His initial anger was replaced by a curiosity about the motivations behind people’s actions.
Ash is dealing with multiple issues, one of which being his youthful naivety. This is why he is described as being ‘gassed up’, a term used to describe someone with grandiose delusions. I was determined for the movie to not just be an exciting experience, but also a exploration into the inner workings of this young man’s thoughts. What are his fantasies, his fears?
Amponsah, age 59, was born and raised in London. His father served as a military officer in Ghana, while his mother worked in the banking industry in Britain. It was during his time at art college that he discovered a passion for film-making, particularly after being introduced to the work of Martin Scorsese. At the age of 19, Amponsah first watched Mean Streets and became enthralled with it, watching it nightly as a source of comfort. This sparked his interest in using Super 8 cameras, as Mean Streets starts off with footage shot on Super 8 in an Italian neighborhood where Scorsese grew up. Amponsah saw potential in this and thought he could do something similar. His talent was recognized and he was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious National Film and Television School in Buckinghamshire for his postgraduate film.
He credits Scorsese for part of his interest in his subjects. Like the American filmmaker, he aims to uncover the layers of individuals, regardless of how malicious they may seem, in order to discover a common thread. He hopes to challenge preconceived notions about people and delve into the root causes of their suffering and hardships. This was his motivation behind creating The Hard Stop, a documentary released in 2017 that was nominated for a Bafta award. The film explores the riots that erupted in response to the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black man, in 2011. “I don’t want to sound vague,” he explains, “but it wasn’t my decision to make The Hard Stop, it was The Hard Stop that chose me.”
During a dinner party, the director engaged in conversation with a community leader from Broadwater Farm in Tottenham, London, where Duggan had resided. After witnessing the destruction in their city, Amponsah expressed a desire to create a documentary. As it turns out, the woman was acquainted with two of Duggan’s childhood friends, Marcus Knox-Hooke and Kurtis Henville, who were eager to showcase Duggan’s true character to the world.
The film, filmed over a span of three years, was granted intimate access to the individuals and criticized the portrayal of Duggan in mainstream media. It began with a quote from Martin Luther King: “A riot is the language of those who are not heard.” Why? “We wanted to provide a platform for the individuals who were allegedly involved in the Tottenham riot, as they arguably had valid reasons for their actions. The history of similar incidents in Broadwater Farm dates back to the 1985 riot, which was sparked by the death of Cynthia Jarrett during a police search of her home. This riot had a devastating impact and resulted in the loss of a police officer’s life. It seemed like this event had a lingering effect in 2011.”
According to Amponsah, fear is always a driving force behind expressions of anger. He is particularly interested in exploring the underlying fears of those who commit crimes and the victims of these crimes. He questions the root cause of their anger and whether it stems from feeling forgotten or disadvantaged in society. Amponsah’s inquisitive nature leads him to wonder about the role of previous generations and parenting in shaping individuals who may turn to destructive behaviors such as addiction.
The period following Duggan’s death was the most severe instance of civil unrest in recent British history. Three years later, after an investigation determined that the police were justified in shooting him, Amponsah, who had been present at the investigation, was surprised. “It was very emotional. I’m relieved that it didn’t lead to another riot. No one wanted to witness further destruction. However, it’s still devastating.”
Amponsah mentions the example of Chris Kaba, a 24-year-old who was fatally shot by police during an operation in London in 2022 (the officer involved has been charged with murder). “I have spoken with his family about possibly creating a documentary and it’s like experiencing deja vu,” Amponsah explains. “Once again, I am connected to a family who has suffered this tragedy. The anguish they are enduring is tangible.”
After the release of The Hard Stop, there has been a worldwide increase in the movement of Black Lives Matter, sparked by the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States. In the years since, various entities such as governments, museums, corporations, and even sports teams have made efforts to address their past actions of racism and prejudice. Does Amponsah have faith in the possibility of improved relations between law enforcement and the black community?
According to him, Black Lives Matter successfully brought attention and initiated dialogue. The extensive media coverage and disturbing nature of Floyd’s murder prompted a moment where it appeared that most individuals were open to discussing the reasons behind these occurrences and why they largely affect people of color. However, he also believes that the underlying bias that leads to the actions of individuals like police officer Derek Chauvin still persists.
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In summary, have things changed but also stayed the same? Absolutely, he answers with emphasis, stating that life is full of paradoxes. As an illustration, as a black man raised in 1970s Britain, he acknowledges that the current experiences of people of color in the UK are “considerably improved” compared to before. “However, they also remain similar. I take pride in being British, but a portion of Britain’s past involved the subjugation and colonization of my forefathers in West Africa.”
Nowadays, Amponsah stays informed about current events and societal issues, but he no longer actively watches the news or reads newspapers. He finds it to be a source of stress. He mentions that he is concerned about issues that are on many people’s minds, such as Britain’s political and economic problems, the war in Gaza, and the possibility of Donald Trump being re-elected. While on vacation in California, he has been trying to be more reflective and introspective. He admits that he is naturally an anxious person and this tendency only worsens as he gets older.
“In my current stage of life, it is important for me to embark on a reflective journey. Instead of focusing on external factors and wondering what I, George Amponsah, can do to alter them, I have come to terms with the fact that there is limited control I have over these situations. Therefore, my main focus is on finding inner peace and making changes within myself.”
He strongly felt that Gassed Up needed to include scenes featuring Ash’s dreams and the underlying messages they conveyed. When asked about the story’s moral, he admits that it may have one. He explains, “Some say everyone deserves a second chance, but life doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes, young people make mistakes and end up in difficult situations or in the criminal justice system, ruining their lives. However, there are instances where we are given a second chance. We can all reflect on our past actions, especially when we were younger, and realize how lucky we were to not face consequences. We may also look at our peers and think, ‘That could have been me.'”
Source: theguardian.com
