Ashley Walters Sets Debut Directorial Feature ‘Animol’

Veteran actor and musician Ashley Walters (Top Boy) has started production on Animol, his debut feature as a director.

Written by Nick Love (The Football Factory, A Town Called Malice) the project is described as a “poignant coming-of-age story” based on life within the confines of a Young Offenders’ institution.

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Animol was developed by Film4 in collaboration with Joi Productions. Sky is collaborating with Film4 for the first time as co-financiers on the project, with the BFI also financing. Bankside Films is handling international sales for the film.

Starring in the flick are Tut Nyuot and Vladyslav Baliuk, who feature as the two central teenagers in the Young Offenders’ institution. Veteran actor Stephen Graham (Help, Boiling Point, The Virtues) joins the supporting cast as a Welfare Officer tasked with supporting the young offenders during their incarceration. Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dune: Part One, Enola Holmes 2) rounds off the ensemble.

The film is produced by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Blue Story, Boxing Day) and Tom Hawkins (True History of the Kelly Gang) from Joi Productions in association with Walter’s production outfit SLNDA and Love’s outfit Rogue State. Julia Stuart, Laura Grange and Sabrina Parmar are executive producing for Sky, Ollie Madden and David Kimbangi for Film4 and Louise Ortega for BFI.

“Nick and I have worked together before and always wanted to create something bold that sparks conversation while delivering visual beauty,” Walters said of the film. “Animol is deeply personal to me. It explores the struggle of being your authentic self in a world that often pressures you to conform—one of life’s greatest challenges. At its heart, this is a story about survival and the safety found in true connection. It’s not about the ‘what’; it’s about the ‘why.’ I couldn’t be more excited to bring my debut feature to life with such an incredible team.”

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