UK AND US actor Joivan Wade and US actor David Bianchi, once again collaborate for their second spoken word film of the year with Wade in The Water.

I pray this film sheds more light on these lived experiences and opens eyes in the hope of evoking change and action

Joivan Wade

Teaming up earlier this year on Hear Me, they’re joined this time by emerging actor Llewelyn C.Radford II to deliver this powerful and timely feature that tells of the plight and oppression of the black male in America.

David Bianchi, writer, director and performer recounts: “I’ve wanted to evoke the negro spiritual Wade in the Water for over 15 years.

“The current unrest in America and global Black history called for an homage to our ancestry. Sadly, as the film depicts, black people still suffer massive violence and oppression at the hands of systemic colonial white systems.

“I hope this film reminds every one of the WHY we fight. We mustn’t relent. We owe it to our lineage.”

“As a Brit living in the US, it’s been eye opening to not only see but feel the weight of the racial unrest here,” says Joivan Wade, actor, writer and producer.

He added: “Accompanying my American counterparts on the front line of protests in support of justice for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, took me back to the London Riots of 2011 which were sparked by Mark Duggan and fuelled by racial tension.  

“It’s devastating that black people still experience these same issues, and injustices to this day. Wade in the Water provided an opportunity to collaborate with my brothers who are continually fighting this struggle, but none of us are alone in this.

“I pray this film sheds more light on these lived experiences and opens eyes in the hope of evoking change and action.”

“Being black in America creates a constant state of uneasy fear. Micro-bites of racism affect your every thought. The first authority figure to call me a nigger was my elementary school principal at age 6. Distrust and hidden anxiety are simply part of who we are”, adds David.

Wade in The Water officially releases on Friday October 30, on Million Youth Media Youtube