‘Denim’, is a poetic short film by Siana Bangura, exploring gentrification in South East London. Fusing together poetry, music, and film, ‘Denim’ takes us on a trip down memory lane in which we get an insight into the estates, buildings, and people who have made London the vibrant city of dreams, opportunity, and contradiction it is today. Through a personal trip down memory lane, visiting the places that molded her Siana Bangura asks the question, ‘what happens when the city changes and leaves those who built it behind?
In an interview with Creative Nestlings, Siana pontificates why ‘Denim’ is a powerful short film and reaffirms why she is a woman whose fire we reckon with – “I explore the bitterness and rawness of these feelings and the realities of it all. There are people asking me what’s wrong with change. I say nothing is wrong, but what is wrong is pushing people out – the very people who made the place vibrant and desirable in the first place. The very people who turned those hell holes into communities. Then those communities are destroyed along with local businesses.”

Siana Bangura is a writer, blogger, and freelance journalist from London. She is also an award-winning poet. Her debut collection of poetry, ‘Elephant’ was published in May 2016. Buy the collection on Amazon.