Stormzy takes first performing function as he launches movie manufacturing corporate

After conquering the charts, Glastonbury’s Pyramid level and launching his personal publishing imprint, Stormzy is taking his first steps into the arena of films with starring in a brief movie in regards to the travails of an ex-rapper.

Big Man can be made through the rap megastar’s personal manufacturing corporate Merky Films in affiliation with Apple, and have Stormzy – in a large wig – because the lead persona Tenzman, “a former rap star now navigating a restless and uncertain chapter of his life”.

The movie is directed through Aneil Karia, who received an Oscar in 2022 for his brief movie The Long Goodbye, which starred Riz Ahmed.

Released on YouTube on 18 June, Big Man blends “humour, vulnerability and quiet transformation”, in keeping with the workforce in the back of it, who added that “the film thoughtfully explores themes of reconnecting with your younger self and embracing gratitude”.

“It’s a natural next step for everything we do at #Merky,” Stormzy added. “Sharing our stories, spotlighting important voices and making room for those who deserve to be seen and heard.”

Stormzy has constructed a rising empire clear of his tune paintings that blends grant-giving, literature and game – with a guide imprint (#Merky Books, which is a part of Penguin Random House), #Merky FC in collaboration with Adidas, and his personal basis.

The rapper, whose actual title is Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, stated that the movie corporate is one thing he has “been dreaming about for ages”, calling it an area for “powerful British stories and a solid home for fresh, unexpected art”.

He stated: “I hope you love our first project, Big Man, as much as we loved making it. For me, it’s all about the joy, spirit and fearless energy of youth – that feeling like life is one big adventure and the world’s your playground. I hope it inspires you to dream bigger, live louder and hold on to that unapologetic energy that comes with being young.”

#Merky Films could also be growing a drama collection and what it’s calling “a seminal biopic that promises to leave a lasting cultural mark”, despite the fact that the topic of the movie is to be showed.

The corporate could also be running on what it calls “thought-provoking documentaries”, a “bold new animation project” and a “boundary-pushing, new-age mockumentary”.

Stormzy can be joined on display screen through Klevis Brahja, who used to be boulevard forged for his section, and Jaydon Eastman, who starred in The Lion King UK and Ireland excursion as Young Simba.

The information got here after Black British film-makers and manufacturers informed the Guardian they had been “fighting over scraps” amid loss of alternatives, with some claiming stipulations are worse now than prior to the Black Lives Matter motion in 2020.

Andy Mundy-Castle, the founding father of the indie corporate Doc Hearts, who received a Bafta and a Royal Television Society award in 2024 for the documentary White Nanny, Black Child, stated in spite of essential acclaim it used to be as tricky as ever to get commissions.

“You are so far removed from the top of the food chain that you just get the scraps … we aren’t given the biggest opportunities,” he stated.