Olivia Smart’s directorial debut Black Stroke explores the surprising statistic that 87 percent of Black people in the U.K can’t swim. Produced as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund (celebrating the 10th anniversary of Netflix documentaries), the film follows stories of three people from different walks of life breaking racial stereotypes and learning to swim for the first time.
With the support of their coaches and community, the documentary follows their journey to become competent swimmers, touching upon the racial history that has created barriers to entry for black people and what has hindered them learning before now.
Producer Olivia said “When I was first deciding on an edit house, I spoke to quite a few but Halo for me felt like the right fit and they didn’t disappoint. Despite working in TV for over 8 years in various roles I hadn’t seen an edit through from start to finish. Halo held my hand throughout the entire process, nothing was too much trouble and their fantastically talented creatives made it so easy to get to the finish line. I can’t thank Halo enough and look forward to working with them on future projects!“.
Halo provided full Picture and Sound Post Production.
Colourist: Duncan Russell
Online Editor: Eduard Fadgyas
Sound Editor: Tom Foster
Dubbing Mixer: Sam Castleton
Post Producer: Stephen Morrison
Sales Exec: Jay Makwana
Black Stroke is available to stream now