Stormzy has taken a new creative direction from his home in UK grime with the launch of his latest project, a film production company by the name of #Merky Films.
The English-Ghanaian rapper shared his excitement for the new project on Instagram, “This is something we’ve been working on behind the scenes for a long time: a platform for bold, authentic and powerful British storytelling.”
The announcement preview shows Stormzy playing his first lead role as the protagonist of his film.
The #Merky creative umbrella homes a line of projects including #Merky Books, #Merky FC and #Merky Foundation. This new venture into film already has its first release set for 18 June, the short film Big Man. Stormzy will star as the lead role in the film, directed by Aneil Karia, known for the Oscar-winning film The Long Goodbye. Big Man will take to YouTube with bold cinematography filmed on the iPhone 16 Pro in partnership with Apple.
Big Man will take on a paralleling narrative to his music, following “the poignant, fictional story of Tenzman, a former rap star now navigating a restless and uncertain chapter of his life” as he summarised in a press release. Stormzy and the team behind the new film company spoke to the Guardian about the upcoming release, sharing that “the film thoughtfully explores themes of reconnecting with your younger self and embracing gratitude”.
This is only the start of #Merky Films, as Stormzy went on to share future plans for the company, which will include “thought-provoking documentaries”, a “bold new animation project” and a “boundary-pushing, new-age mockumentary”. The release of #Merky Films comes after his latest single ‘Easier Done Than Said’ with JVCK JAMES. After a three year break from his last solo album ‘This Is What I Mean’, the singer shared the rapid vent track ‘Sorry Rach!’ in which he calls out his frustrations following the backlash from his previous partnership with McDonalds.
With slower releases in music, Stormzy has focused on creations under the #Merky projects. The rapper has posted several updates to projects on Instagram, sharing improvements to #Merky FC which was created to combat the underrepresentation of black people in football leadership roles. Additionally, Stomzy has put #Merky Foundation as a priority online, announcing applications for Stormzy Scholarships at Cambridge University.
Keep up to date with updates on Stormzy’s next movements on social media, and watch out for new information on #Merky Films on the official website.
