How do you go from studying law to becoming an award-winning filmmaker, artist and writer? For Iggy London, the genesis of his journey to the arts was through spoken-word poetry series Def Poetry Jam.
“I used to watch the likes of Kanye West, Erykah Badu and Common,” he says. “They would always be doing these poetry slams, and I would be obsessed with their lyricism and how they could fit in real social issues, with a flow.”
Born and raised in Newham, east London in a family originally from Nigeria, London has aimed to infuse a balance of artistry and social consciousness in his work. In lieu of film school, he refined his visual storytelling on the job through crafting commercials and working with the likes of Timbaland and Mary J Blige. “Working in a commercial space, you are able to create something which is a little bit more left of centre,” he explains. “Then you can use that in the narrative world.”
London will soon be putting that experience to good use. He is in early development on a psychological thriller for his feature directing debut, co-written with Shimon Greenidge-Forsyth. “It’s set on a deserted island and is about generational trauma and how adults try to shift the cycle,” he says. “I’m honoured to be able to make these films, especially because being a lawyer would have been very boring.”
London’s breakthrough came in 2018 with his first commissioned short Velvet. But it is his latest Area Boy that has garnered the most plaudits to date. Inspired by his experiences studying in the Midlands and north England, the short stars Joshua Cameron as a teenager who is trying to reconcile his identity with his religion.
“I’m interested in the idea of performance, and how people change their psychological behaviours, and how that plays upon narrative stories,” says London. “That was a big influence on Area Boy.”
Premiering in the Orizzonti short films competition at last year’s Venice Film Festival, Area Boy went on to play festivals including BFI London, and scored the best scripted short award at Santa Barbara 2024. “Speaking with the head of Venice Film Festival [Alberto Barbera], and him knowing my film and talking so well about the combination of surrealism and realism in the film was really profound,” London says.
Contact: Iggy London
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