Conceived from a desire to tell new narratives about the black community, the campaign was created to raise funds to produce a high-quality series that is in stark contrast to the traumatic stories that are a daily occurrence. The series emphasises the importance of the barbershop within the black community, showcasing the wide range of people that make it up, giving an intimate view of the conversations that take place within this sacred space, ranging from the intellectual to the humorous.

Once funded The Sanctuary we will be continuing what was started with our last documentary…controlling our own narratives. We have been working really hard to produce a pilot episode of The Sanctuary to give you an idea of what the series will look like and how it differs to other series’ that take place in a barbershop.

We produced the pilot episode at our own cost, so why can’t we do that with the rest of the series you ask? The simple answer is we can, the pilot episode was not cheap to produce and had to be worked on around our day jobs (we’re all freelancers). If we complete the series at our own cost it means it will take a very long time to complete as we will have to work on it around our daily routines and try to schedule shooting and editing around people having nothing else on and causing loss of earnings for all the barbers who work with (and including) Stuart.

But with backing from visionaries like you, we will be able to exponentially speed up the process.

We are standing up in the best way we know how. Challenging negative stereotypes and perceptions, providing representation and taking control of our narratives. We are giving young people from underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds the chance to be involved in a high-quality production.

So many of us on The Sanctuary Team have suffered as a result of the stereotypes perpetuated by the media. The media has the ability to affect massive influence upon peoples’ perceptions. We are here to change that.

Any challenge that comes up will be handled swiftly and effectively, as a team. We have lots of experience with adversity. As any of you involved in filmmaking know, it is never smooth sailing, we are used to thinking on our feet, problem solving and finding ways to just get it done.

Not everything is about money or your financial backing. In fact, sharing and spreading the word on social media and via email is also incredibly helpful, too. If you want to be the change, please the share the link at the top of the page.