EXPERTS FROM MUSIC, FILM AND POLITICS AT THE

September 16, 2023

COUNTY LINES DISCUSSION AT THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT DRAWS EXPERTS FROM MUSIC, FILM AND POLITICS AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF HARD-HITTING INDEPENDENT BRITISH FILM TRAPPING

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TRAPPING IS RELEASED TODAY ON BFI BACKED NEW STREAMING PLATFORM THE DROP

TRAPPING – THE OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK BY ABRA CADABRA FT. POPCAAN IS AVAILABLE HERE

September 15 2023, London, UK: Held last night at the Houses of Parliament and chaired by Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Streatham panellists discussed the pressing issues of tackling County Lines and the ‘War On Drugs’ in the UK ahead of the release of hard-hitting independent British film TRAPPING.

Mobo award winning rapper Abra Cadabra joined L’Myah Sherae (Enact Equality CEO), Ben Lindsay OBE (Power The Fight Founder), Amani Simpson (youth coach and campaigner) and TRAPPING producer Femi Oyeniran on the panel. The discussion, chaired by Ribeiro-Addy, was followed by a Q&A session with an audience of politicians, campaigners, funders, and policy makers.

Keying into themes touched on in TRAPPING – a brutally honest fictional portrayal of the distressing reality of county lines in the UK – panellists discussed:

– The rise in county lines activity in the UK.

– The escalating number of children involved, and how this is inextricably linked to the number of children being excluded or suspended from school.

– How the increase of poverty (due to the pandemic, 10+ years of government austerity measures and the cost-of-living crisis) has escalated the UK’s county lines problem.

– Institutional racism within the criminal justice system, and how this has led to white children from affluent backgrounds now being targeted by county line gangs.

– The necessity for the Government to take a different approach to the ‘War on Drug’s’ and the UK’s drug addiction problem – from the decriminalisation of drug possession to more preventative and supportive measures required from the public health sector.

– The need for a more locally-centred, collaborative approach within communities – encompassing working closely with churches, schools and other local authority youth services.

See excerpted quotes from the discussion in Notes To Editors below.

Serving as a hard-hitting warning message, TRAPPING unearths county lines as an intersectional issue, while shining a light on how easily young people feeling the effects of poverty and deprivation can feel pressured into drug dealing.

Directed and written by multiple award-winning and two-times BAFTA and GRAMMY® nominated filmmaker, director, writer and social activist Penny Woolcock, TRAPPING was filmed between economically deprived areas of London and Kent. It sees MOBO award winning British RapperAbra Cadabra (who plays leading county line gang member, Magic) cast in his first ever acting role, and stars upcoming actors Louis Ede (who plays leading character Daz), Aaliyah Gohir (who plays Maryam), C-Biz (who plays Bigger Man), Femi Oyeniran (who plays Wole), Nicky Walker, (who plays Slim Man), and Drill group OFB.

TRAPPING, announced exclusively by Variety Magazine, is released on new streaming platform THE DROP today. Supported by the British Film Institute, ground-breaking platform THE DROP is dedicated to serving minority and underrepresented audiences globally and promoting independent and upcoming talent in the British TV and Film Industries.

Accompanying the release of the film, TRAPPING – The Official Soundtrack by Abra Cadabra ft. Popcaan is also released today. Produced by FaNaTix (Nicki Minaj), MageTheProducer (Libianca) and Juggy Beatz, it sees Abra Cadabra weaves his lived personal experience into film’s soundtrack to deliver a powerful and authentic performance. Abra says: ‘The EP is inspired by my experience of working on the film as well as my personal experience of growing up in Tottenham. What I’m playing as Magic, in the film, I’ve really seen. I’m merging my reality with Magic’s reality.’