Care BTS: Rocks + Panel discussion

Sarah Gavron’s spirited, highly acclaimed Rocks follows a teenage girl growing up in a multi-ethnic East London community. 

Rocks (Bukky Bakray) has big dreams for the future, loyal friends and an adoring younger brother. But when her unstable mother leaves home, her world turns upside down, with the days that follow becoming the most defining of her life. Performed by largely non-professional actors, Rocks is a joyous and moving film, full of resilience and spirit, that celebrates the power of female friendship.

Post-screening Panel discussion

The screening will be followed by a special panel discussion exploring Rocks as both a film and a process, focusing on the ethics of care embedded in its socially engaged, collaborative approach to filmmaking. The discussion will be chaired by Dr Alice Pember, a researcher and co-curator of the Care Behind the Scenes season, whose work examines how care, collaboration and responsibility shape women’s filmmaking practises. 

We are delighted to welcome Axa Hynes and Warda Mohamed from We Are Bridge, founded as an aftercare programme following the production of Rocks, alongside music supervisor Connie Farr. Together, they will discuss how caring, ethical approaches to collaboration informed the making of the film itself, how these values were sustained beyond the shoot and how the ongoing afterlife of Rocks continues to shape new attitudes to care across the UK film and television industries.

Care Behind the Scenes

A series of film talks and workshops curated by Dr Alice Pember and Polina Zelmanova exploring how filmmakers have demonstrated caring practices with their casts and crew.

Our Handle with Care! cinema programme has been made possible with support from Film Hub Midlands through funds from the National Lottery. Film Hub Midlands support people to watch, show, and make films in the Midlands.