Documentary on harrowing impacts of knife crime in Northampton soon to premiere after months of hard work
A documentary on the harrowing impacts of knife crime in Northampton is soon to premiere after months of hard work with people personally affected across the town.
Losing Our Children (The War on Knife Crime) will air for the first time at Odeon in Sixfields on the evening of February 23, and film producer Gary Halliday from UK Film School spoke to the Chronicle & Echo about the project.
UK Film School, which was launched in Northampton and has been running for the past two decades, takes pride in working with young people across the country on projects that get them behind and in front of the camera.
This one came about after a conversation Gary had with a member of Kingsthorpe Parish Council, delving into how rife knife crime is in Northampton and the negative implications it continues to have.
With the backing of anti knife crime advocates and the loved ones of victims across Northampton, who have bravely been in front of the camera to share their experiences, it has created a powerful hour-long piece of work.
This included the father of Fred Shand, Rohan Shand, the mother of Louis-Ryan Menezes, Cheri Curran, Off the Streets NN and Knife Crime Victim Support, just to name a few.
“I can’t remember knife crime when I was a child,” said Gary. “There were punch ups, they were dealt with and everyone moved on. This is so violent and the consequences are so huge. You should be able to have a disagreement with someone and move on. Social media is having an effect as people are exposed to ridicule and abuse.
“There is a whole section where many young people talk about ego being a problem and they did this without being prompted. The ego is fragile but massive.”
Gary was asked the aim of the documentary and what message it hopes to send to the Northampton community once it premieres.
He said: “The aim initially was to engage the young people to talk about knife crime to educate and let others know they are not alone – and that this isn’t a solution. It was to raise awareness of how final and bad these decisions to pick up knives can be, the consequences are huge.
“It changed as we were making the film, showing how these young people are dealing with the aftermath of losing friends and how families are dealing with it. There’s so many strings to it.”
This project commenced in summer 2025 and has taken longer than the typical six-week period allocated, but Gary was passionate about giving everyone who came forward the platform to have their voices heard.
Following the invite-only premiere, the aim is for the film to be shown in schools and an education programme is being designed around it to keep the conversation going. Gary also hopes it will secure a spot on a streaming platform to reach wider audiences.