An inspiring film premiere celebrated three Fight for Peace alumni and their journeys, writes Chris Whitmore.

people in Fight4Peace — Photo: Fight4Peace

Newham youth organisation Fight for Peace celebrated the achievements of three of its former members during an intimate film premiere hosted at its Royal Docks Academy on Wednesday evening.

The two-hour event marked the official unveiling of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, a documentary, in collaboration with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, focusing on the inspiring journeys of entrepreneur Athena Bashar, videographer and producer Aladdin Benberna, and professional mixed martial arts fighter Jawany Scott.

Filmed and produced by current members of Fight for Peace’s Young Creatives team – a Sport England-funded initiative providing a creative platform for young people – each documentary offered a unique insight into the lives and accomplishments of Bashar, Benberna and Scott, and the role Fight for Peace has played in shaping their outstanding young careers.

“When someone asked if they wanted to make a video about me, it’s next level, and it made me realise and reflect on my whole journey at Fight for Peace,” Bashar said.

“It was such an inspiring evening; Jawany was somebody who I used to train with, Aladdin is a dearest friend of mine, so seeing these stories of people who I know, who I’m associated with is inspiring in itself.”

Current and former members, local residents and the documentaries’ three protagonists, participated in an engaging question and answer session afterwards. “It was an amazing opportunity to talk about my mindset and how I think and how I’ve developed,” Benberna said. “If I am someone they consider a success story, then clearly I’m doing something right! It is inspiring to be given an opportunity to share my journey with young people.”

Benberna, who is forging a successful career in independent film, continues to work closely with Fight for Peace’s Young Creatives, and earlier this year collaborated on the Newham Heritage Month documentary, The Bluebox in Newham: Home of Champions.

Bashar, too, is maintaining her ties to the area, running her successful Modest Moves boxing classes out of gyms across East London, while Scott is inspiring the next generation of fighters as he closes in on a flyweight title shot in Europe’s leading MMA promotion, Cage Warriors.

All three documentaries are available to watch on Fight for Peace’s YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/user/fightforpeacegroup

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