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An Ice Souvenir

@iceystories

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Writes. Directs. Educates.
@film_london PFM 2024
@zurichfilmfestival Academy 2024
@film_london BTGC 2023
@the_brit_list 2022
@bfinetwork 2021

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IT’S A NUMBERS GAME!!!

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, because there’s been very little to shout about in the past 18 months (as you can see from the slides).

Frustrating. Draining. Career crossroads kind of vibes.

But I never stopped creating.

I wrote 10 specs. One definitely stood out: DEAD FREIGHT— an original thriller inspired by the discrimination faced by African students fleeing Ukraine. Crowd-pleasing genre, emotional, and socially sharp. A script I now consider one of my very best and part of my canon.

Submitted it to the BBC Writersroom Open Call — one of the UK’s most competitive schemes. Didn’t make the scheme, but the result? Top 2.4%. Top 137 of ALL submissions.

Prior to this, it had been getting lots of responses. Some readers called it too political. Others have said it’s excellent but not their thing. That’s fine. In this industry, not every “no” is a rejection — sometimes it’s just a mismatch.

But I always back myself. And that validation? It’s the spark that helps keeps me going when the fire starts to die.

So I keep submitting. Dozens of labs, contests, opportunities. Still here. Still pushing. Still writing. Still executing ideas.

And now?

I have an amazing new agent.
I’m shortlisted for something game-changing.
I’ve written two more specs this year.

So, submit everywhere. Use contests as deadlines, as motivation, as proof. Because sometimes, all it takes is one “yes” to stoke the coals a little.

And I’m still putting up numbers, because…

It’s a numbers game.

TOP 2.4%. TOP 137 OF ALL SUBMISSIONS.

#scriptwriting #scriptwriter #film #tv #screenwriters by @iceystories

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3 months ago

Said it before and I’ll say it again…

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME! Keep going!
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Thrilled to have been selected as 1 of 20 filmmakers participating in #zffacademy @zurichfilmfestival #zff
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Time for a new #city - new #friends - new #memories - new #moves - new #movies 🎬💥🍿❤️🎥
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Excited to meet you all and experience #zurich and #zurichfilmfestival for the first time 🙏🏾 by @iceystories

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2 years ago

WOW 😱 I’VE MADE THE BRIT LIST!
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Hard to describe just how much this means to me. 🥺🥺🥺
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Just take a look at the slides…
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I’ve been trying to manifest this for years. Including it in vision boards and my intentions. Speaking it into the ether. Hoping and willing it to happen.
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But a funny thing happened a few days before I found out. I was in a second hand bookshop where I spotted an old spice girls photo album. The owner of the shop was happy to just give it to me for free, and at the time I just thought it was a super kind gesture, but now I know it was also a sign from the universe, preparing me for the news that Two Become One had made the list.
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Congratulations to everyone who also made the list this year. You smashed it. I can’t wait to spend the next year sharing the experience with you all. It’s gonna be ace.
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A huge thank you @the_brit_list and everyone who has supported my scriptwriting journey in some way. And also to everyone who has supported this script ❤️
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Special love for @curlyeinstein 🙏🏾 you definitely nudged this 😜
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And a massive thank you to my agent @theagencyldn_ Emily Smith. You’re a total boss!
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It still hasn’t really sunk in 😱 I’m just super excited to see where this leads 💥🙏🏾💪🏾 by @iceystories

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4 years ago

So so happy to have been invited for this amazing pilot that the @nationaltheatre is testing. It is a Facilitators Lab (not Day as I called, but it was a day- and what a daaaay).

I had such a pleasure to connect with some beautiful people with whom I'm aure I'll work loads. Genious, talented, generous and kind humans.

I reviewed and learned viewpoints, clowning exercises, SEND techniques and even did some grime rapping, a toral wrap.

Thanks to the artists/ facilitators speaking in this video. In order of appearance:

@xiaoya.space
@montel.douglas
@k3irx225
@iceystories
@gabygabk23
@marian

#nationaltheatre #facilitatorslab by @iceystories

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6 days ago

June is a BIG month for me!

A new #spielberg summer blockbuster drops. The World Cup kicks off. And – oh yes – just one month until my birthday.

But the real box office headline?

I’m thrilled to share that I’m now represented by Salt Partnership as a #scriptwriter and #director across #screen and #stage 🎬🎭

Finding the right representation isn’t easy – especially in today’s climate – so I’m deeply grateful to Natasha and Nikhil for seeing potential in my work (and in me). Most of all, for reminding me of the value of resilience, belief, and – yes – that there are nice people in the biz.

They’ve fired up the flux capacitors, and I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead.

Let’s do this! by @iceystories

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4 months ago

Dot, man…

Woke up yesterday with a message that really spun me. What made it even more difficult to digest was that I’d recently been diving into my archive of work and rewatched all the stuff you were a part of.

The truth is you were a significant part of the start of my journey and development. The resulting work and the times spent making it are what I consider part of my canon, and really formative memories.

Your passion was inspirational. Your talent was undeniable. And your energy was infectious when you wanted it to be.

I’ll always remember you rocking up to shoot the Bad Tonight video and immediately elevating the vibes on a micro budget shoot in central london on a freezing Friday night.
I still LOVE your appearance in the video man, and the amount of dope material you gave me to work with in the edit. The way you left the shoot still makes me crease—swagger, arms to the sky, cracking jokes—that shot made it into the final edit and I always break into a smile from that bit.

I know there’s elements of my craft that developed because I got to spend time following you around with a camera, chopping it up, shooting, and cutting vids for you.

They were fun times and looking back, you checked for me and never treated me as anything but an equal. In our business that was appreciated and rare then, and still is.

You’ll be missed, not just by your loved ones or people you connected with through your music, but also people like me who were fortunate to meet you on a level and leave with a feeling that you had something special about you.

Here’s a few clips I found…

Russo ft Dot Rotten - Bad Tonight
16 Bars social clip
Dot Rotten - Underestimated - recorded live @ XOYO for @joeybadass @djsemtex

My prayers and love go out to you, your friends and family.

Rest in power.

And thank you bro 🙏🏾 #dotrotten 🕊️ by @iceystories

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7 months ago

My 25 #films of #2025 🍿🎬🎞️

Looking at the list, I’m pleasantly surprised to see so many straight up genre films made it.

Big shoutout to #lff for throwing up a healthy amount of the list. Of the 31 films I saw there, 10 have made it here.

I don’t rank them. I don’t pick faves. I love all my children equally.

But I will say… @40acresthemovie was one of the most satisfying and inspiring films I saw all year. @directedbyrt had me double taking coz it felt like the purest @johncarpenterofficial energy I’ve seen in a film since his peak 🙏🏾 and that opening 10mins is like the best short film of the year.

@twinlessfilm and @djahmet.film were easily the funniest.

And @sinnersmovie was basically designed in a lab for me.

Roll on 2026! #realscreentalk

#100nightsofhero
#frankenstein
#deadofwinter
#grandthefthamlet
#hamnet
#ifihadlegsidkickyou
#martysupreme
#itends
#myfathersshadow
#predatorbadlands
#nickelboys
#onfalling
#nootherchoice
#28yearslater
#weapons
#exit8
#traindreams
#onebattleafteranother
#santosh
#thesecretagent
#theorder by @iceystories

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10 months ago

As any scriptwriter knows, the feeling of finishing a script is glorious. But no sooner have you typed those two beautiful words—The End—than another voice pipes up: “Okay, that’s cool. You’re a don. You’ve finished this… Now what’s next?”

It’s something I tell my students almost religiously: anyone can write a script, but real writers keep writing. No matter what’s happening around them, they keep churning out ideas. They build a stack of scripts so that one day, when someone asks, “What else have you got?”—they’ve got the answer.

This year has been the epitome of “What else have you got?” And honestly? It hasn’t been great. Development has stalled on projects. Writersroom opportunities seem limited unless you’ve already got multiple episodes under your belt. Development money is scarce. And risk-taking on new talent feels rarer than ever.

At least, that’s the word on the street. That’s how it looks. That’s how it feels.

So I buried myself in the work. I wrote at pace. I wrapped two writing assignments, then pulled ideas from my drawer, dusted off old pitches, and finally put them to paper. The result? Eight new specs—seven features and one TV episode:

·  A single-location micro-budget thriller
·  A shark survival film with an all-Black cast
·  A Hackney-set coming-of-age musical
·  An action-thriller about rap bodyguards
·  A horror-comedy about Jungle’s heyday
·  A coming-of-age film inspired by the Spice Girls
·  A procedural police drama
·  A European thriller about African students caught in the Ukraine war

There’s no guarantee they’ll change anything, or that they’ll be universally liked. Just the other day, someone told me one script didn’t chime with them—even though it’s done gangbusters with other readers. But the point is, I’ve got an answer to “What else have you got?”

And that’s the job. As a screenwriter, as a creative, you have to keep going. You have to find and follow the fun. You have to keep putting yourself—and your ideas—out there.

Because sometimes life will ask you, “What’s next?”

And only you can answer.

#screenwriting #scriptwriting #screenplay #film #movies #movie #tv #writing #writers #motivationalquotes #motivation by @iceystories

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a year ago

2 years. The best 2 years. After the best day ever. I said I’d try to love you more than Football, Raving, Glasto, Ibiza, and Movies. And after 2 years of marriage I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I most definitely love you more than the first three. ❤️ @curlyeinstein 🫶🏾
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🎥 @lovedupfilms
📸 @marni_v_photography by @iceystories

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2 years ago

Feel privileged and honoured that @darkmattermktg have asked me to host a screening of a film that speaks to me on so many levels… and in my manor no less!

Bricky. 4. Life. 💪🏾

THE KITCHEN, starring @therealkano @wrightyofficial and @jedaiahbannerman is the trailblazing debut feature from
@kibwetavares & @danielkaluuya - and not only is it a blast to watch, it’s a real watershed moment in British cinema.

After the screening, I’ll be hosting a Q&A with some of the filmmaking team - co-director Kibwe Tavares, casting director @aishabywaterscasting and @nathanvonparker production designer.

Can’t wait to see you there. And for you to see this badass and beautiful film on the big screen where it belongs!

📍Thu 18 Jan, 6.30pm @ritzy_cinema

🎟️ picturehouses.com or @darkmattermktg link in bio for tickets by @iceystories

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3 years ago

Today is the day! The first 13 episodes of @spellbound_off are now on @hulu 🤯 meaning you’ll get to see an episode written by yours truly. My first episode credit. What a feeling 🫢
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Massive thanks to the shows creators @amulreefilms and @jillgirling for bringing me into the coven and huge love to the boss trio of writers I got to make some magic with @abenat_s @arunblair @nada8_8_8 🧙🏽‍♀️🪄 by @iceystories

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3 years ago

Feeling grateful, gassed and galvanised to be on Breaking the Glass Ceiling 2023
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This year has been a test; emotionally, creatively and mentally, so the opportunity to contribute to discussions about positively changing the industry and helping to shape the future for others is something I intend to seize. Being a future leader is far more than a snazzy title and I aim to disrupt, be brave, and bold in breaking the glass ceiling for myself and others.
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And I couldn’t be doing it with a more ace group of game changers. It’s our time.
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Huge thanks to @film_london - Jill Tandy, Rebecca Baker, Azariah Jade, Tomi Ojo and the team for everything so far. by @iceystories

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3 years ago