'Lil' ol' me, a BAFTA nominee': poet Dean Atta reflects on major film accolade
Two Black Boys in Paradise, a stop-motion animation inspired by his poem, has gained recognition for its poignant storytelling
"Lil’ ol’ me, a BAFTA nominee. This still hasn’t sunk in."
Expressing his thoughts in verse even in a short post on Instagram, 2026 is proving to be a huge year for the London-based poet Dean Atta.
His words, written into a deeply personal poem called Two Black Boys in Paradise, led to a five-year journey that has put queer love into the spotlight, via stunning, handcrafted stop-motion.
And now, the film inspired by his words has been nominated at the BAFTA Film Awards for British Short Animation.
The nod has marked another high point in its successful festival journey, with the picture having already been screened at over 60 international events and taking home a stunning 21 awards.
Directed by Baz Sells and written by Sells, Dean Atta, and Ben Jackson, the 9-minute handcrafted stop-motion animation focuses on Edan (19) and Dula (18), two young black men who confront racism, homophobia, and self-doubt.
Their journey involves the transformative courage of publicly holding hands, which transports them to a paradise free from shame.
'Words became my superpower'
"It was incredible to see that we'd been nominated for BAFTA," Atta told Hits Radio Pride.
"It was more than a dream come true - and I just never thought to dream of something like this.
"I've had lots of accolades for my writing, my books, but I've never done anything in film in this way, and I am so proud for the whole team that have worked on this short film.
"It took five years to make and over 100 people worked on it - and was certainly a labour of love."
In his teens, Dean discovered that writing poetry was an important way he could express himself, exploring his sexuality, being mixed race, and being brought up Christian.
Learning to articulate his feelings through words, he describes them as being his 'superpower'.
Dean added: "Once I'd been on stage and performed my poetry, people were just blown away by what I had to say and the confidence with which I said it and because the things I was talking about was so personal.
"I think it really made people stop and think about claiming their own identities, speaking up for themselves, and speaking up about the things that matter to them.
"The feedback I got as a poet when I was performing a lot was always really positive.
"Words became my superpower, in a way.
"People always felt let into the subject matter, even if it wasn't from their own experience, or if it was, they felt seen in my words, and I think Two Black Boys in Paradise is doing that too."
'You really empathise with Dula and Edan'
The narrative of the film was expanded through conversations about lived experiences, incorporating elements such as market confrontation, police interactions, and public hostility.
One particularly poignant moment in the film is where the narrative explores a stop-and-search by police.
It demonstrates the choreography of public hostility - something Dean says is as reflective on today's society, as it was when his poem was written more than five years ago.
Dean reflected: "I think it does resonate with what's currently going on, even though we started making it over five years ago.
"These issues have been things we've grown up with, and the relationship between black people, people of colour and the police has always been a tricky one.
"I write books that have been published in the United States, too, and you see such a difference there, in how people resonate with those stories.
"In the UK, we may be stopped by the police and it may be a misunderstanding, but for the most part, we get to walk away from it.
"In the US, it can be very different, because of the prevalence of guns and how they're used in that country.
"So I think, Two Black Boys in Paradise will resonate differently with different people in different countries, but I'm really glad this scene was included in the short film because it's such an important issue.
"Our relationship and trust between civilians and the police is really tricky sometimes, and so to show it in that really human way I think is really powerful.
"You really empathise with the characters Dula and Edan during that police stop.
"We're doing it with animated puppets in the film, but it feels like you're watching real people go through something really, really difficult, and I think the empathy that this film evokes is really one of its strengths, I think."
'It can be you in paradise'
What sums up Two Black Boys in Paradise is the power behind the story's conclusion.
Dula and Eden confront fear and shame to rediscover a sense of belonging throughout the nine-minute story, yet the story is left with an ambiguous cliff-hanger as the picture fades to black.
The power of the poem's almost inconclusive end leaves the story in the hands of the viewer - something Dean tells us is absolutely intentional.
He said: "I think, even though it's so specific in terms of talking about black queer love, it also is universal because everyone wants to feel loved.
"Everyone wants to find that person they can feel safe with, they can belong with, that they can be their true selves with, so I think those messages really cut through for everyone.
"And we say it's 'Two Black Boys in Paradise', but at the end, you see that it could be two black girls... They don't have to be boys and girls.
"It can be you in paradise.
"I think that invitation that the film has towards the end really makes people pause and imagine what paradise would be for them and who they'd be there with.
"We show such beautiful imagery on the screen, but then we leave it to people to imagine what their version of paradise would be."
The pieces up for Best British short animation at this year's BAFTAs are:
- Cardboard
- Solstice
- Two Black Boys in Paradise
You can watch Two Black Boys in Paradise on Channel 4.