On the evening of September 6th, Factory International, a cultural art space in central Manchester played host to more than just a film premiere - it became a living testament to what happens when an overlooked community seizes the tools of storytelling to reshape its image. The Success of Moss Side, directed by Elmi Ali, produced by Baka Bah and music provided by Roosovelt Sigsbert, premiered exactly one year to the day since filming began. Yet this milestone was never only about cinema; it was a cultural reckoning and a declaration of self-determination.
For decades, Moss Side -a vibrant neighbourhood in South Manchester, has been painted by mainstream media as a shorthand for deprivation, violence, and brokenness. What Elmi and Baka have created through this film is a radical counter-narrative. By centering voices too often ignored, they have captured something richer, more nuanced, and deeply human: success.
Written By : Rosie Callaghan
Edited By : Alysha Brown
Photography By : Txlula
As soon as I entered Aviva Studios, the charged atmosphere was unmistakable. Families, friends, and neighbours poured into the venue. Children danced across the red carpet, pretending to be celebrities, embodying the very future the film champions. A group prayer before the screening infused the evening with sacred gravity - a collective moment of gratitude, pride, and reflection.
And then there were the three lads who sprinted over from the nearby CLINTS Festival just to catch the premiere before dashing back, a small but striking symbol of how quickly word of the film’s importance had spread.
For many in attendance, the evening was personal. Esther Lisk-Carew, a local engagement coordinator, explained simply: “It’s the community, that’s what I’m here for.” Photographer Yas Lucia put it more bluntly: “They’ve just smashed it. It’s crazy, crazy talent.”
This was no passive audience. It was a gathering of people who had, in one way or another, contributed to the very soul of the project.
Though a documentary, The Success of Moss Side resists the clinical detachment often associated with the genre. Instead, it operates as an act of radical empathy. Through portraits of local heroes - from a football coach shaping futures, to a mother who turned grief into activism, to artists preserving culture, it dismantles the one-dimensional narratives long imposed on the area.
During the post-screening Q&A, director Elmi Ali alongside Ahmed Yassin from Claremont Youth Project articulated the vision with a disarming clarity:
“My approach was really simple - what happens when a place has not been generously portrayed in the media? What happens when local people take the tools, the same ones used by the media, and decide to tell their own story?”
The film answers by showing that storytelling, when rooted in place and people, is an act of reclamation.
“This project has been fully grassroots - grace and grease, hard work, community partnerships. What’s next is Moss Side realising that we are so much stronger together. It’s about connection, and proving that we can connect.”
“We live in Moss Side - we’re local to it. That gives us the currency to tell the story. But there’s always the question: do you risk re-traumatising people? How do you negotiate sensitive issues? The key was creating something that isn’t extractive, but contributes to a positive narrative.”
The result is precisely that: a documentary that uplifts rather than exploits, reveals rather than sensationalises.
For Baka, the collaboration with Elmi was as intense as it was rewarding: “To work with a mind like Elmi - it’s a rollercoaster. But what’s come out of it is something enduring, a cinematic love letter to Moss Side.”
As the applause subsided and the Q&A drew to a close, one question lingered: where does the film go from here? Baka’s answer is both pragmatic and ambitious. “We are hoping it’s able to be distributed by one of the bigger media outlets - Channel 4, BBC, Amazon, Netflix, someone who can give it a platform to be widely seen.”
But their ambitions stretch further. Standing on stage before a sold-out auditorium, Baka reflected: “Looking into that room and realising all those people came to support this project - it was truly magical. It showed the importance of what we’re trying to do.”
Next, they hope to take the film’s energy into workshops across the country, reaching schools, youth centres, and even prisons. The goal is not only to inspire with Moss Side’s story, but to equip others with the technical and theoretical tools of storytelling - so that communities everywhere can take control of their own narratives.
As one line from the film reminds us, every time you say the name The Success of Moss Side, you are making a statement. You are affirming a truth. On September 6th, in a sold-out auditorium filled with laughter, hugs, and hope, that truth rang out: Moss Side is not a problem to be solved. It is a story to be told. And it is, undeniably - a success.
The film does not shy away from Moss Side’s challenges. But it refuses to let them define the neighbourhood. Instead, it amplifies resilience and collective creativity. Erinma Bell, founder and CEO of CHARISMA, a local youth organisation, spoke passionately after the screening: “It’s important for young people to dream - dream about what they want to be and what they want to do.”
The documentary embodies that philosophy. One of its most poignant moments comes from James Gregory, founder of Families Against Violence, who channelled the loss of his son Giuseppe into building safer futures for others. His presence in the film is a reminder of the pain Moss Side has endured, but also of the strength it has forged. That 10% of ticket profits will go directly to Families Against Violence and the Salaam Community Association ensures the documentary is more than symbolic, it has tangible impact.
At its core, The Success of Moss Side is not just a film - it is an intervention in how a community is seen, and how it sees itself. For Elmi, a 33-year-old writer, performer, and Moss Side native, the responsibility is clear, previously stating :
