Project Detail

War of Words: Battle Rap in the UK

Synopsis

An energising and controversial feature documentary that lifts the lid on the fast growing UK battle rap scene.
The film reveals the history and evolution of this unique subculture of hip hop: charting from its origins in playgrounds and parks, through to nightclubs and competitions. From its beginnings as a battle of quick-thinking freestyle wit, through to its current incarnation as a form of well-rehearsed poetry and theatre.
Directors Craig Tuohy and Tom Worth followed and filmed major players involved with the UK battle rapping scene over a period of two years- revealing behind the scenes footage, clips from some of the best battles, and interviews with the top battle rappers from all over the UK including poet Mark Grist, whose battle rap with Blizzard has had over 4.5 million hits on YouTube.
The film is an entertaining expose on how the UK has taken an American art form and made it uniquely British, and so creating one of the most exciting youth subcultures around today.

Details

Year: 2015
Type of film: Features
Running time: 93 mins
Format: digital video
Director: Craig Tuohy, Tom Worth
Producer: Craig Tuohy, Tom Worth, Charlotte Arden
Executive Producer: Lee Kemp, Peter Dunphy, Vivian Giourousis, Alistair Monty
Editor: Barry Moen
Screenwriter: Craig Tuohy
Composer: Si Begg
Principal cast: Ice-T, Doc Brown, Raekwon, Scroobius Pip

Genre

Music Dance

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Gizmo Films

13 Queensborough Mews
London
W2 3SG

Visit Website

Ascension Productions

Visit Website

www.ascensionproductions.co.uk

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle. Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all. At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere

Woman Director

Power Station

Director: Dan Edelstyn, Hilary Powell

Year: 2025

Two artists in Walthamstow set out to take their street off the grid, kickstarting a solar-powered energy revolution. Inspired by lockdown mutual aid initiatives, artist-activists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn decided to turn their street into an energy-generating powerhouse – a prototype for a new way of living, with the hope of galvanising a wider push towards sustainable alternatives. Directed by the duo, POWER STATION charts their turbulent journey, from pitching the idea to their neighbours and sleeping on the roof of their home to raising finance and launching a bid for a Christmas number one single. By turns funny and heartwarming, Powell and Edelstyn’s film is a vibrant portrait of their local neighbourhood, and a charming testament to the power of art in changing minds about what could be possible. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025

Climate / Environment

Nova '78

Director: Aaron Brookner, Rodrigo Areias