Animol | Ashley Walters’ feature directorial debut goes into production

ANIMOL ashley walters
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Actor and rapper Ashley Walters of Top Boy fame is making his feature directorial debut with Animol which has just gone into production. More on that below. 


If you’ve watched Top Boy, Channel 4 and later Netflix’s hit London-set drama, you know Ashley Walters is the real deal. Walters’ raw performance as the series’ main character Dushane is a memorable one, but the actor and rapper is now looking to shift his focus elsewhere, specifically behind the camera. 

Word has reached the Film Stories news desk that Walters’ feature directorial debut Animol has just gone into production. Written by Nick Love and drawing from Walters’ own experiences, Animol takes us inside the harsh conditions of a Young Offenders’ Institution. Tut Nyuot and Vladyslav Baliuk will play two teenagers at the heart of the story with Stephen Graham and Sharon Duncan-Brewster joining them in supporting roles. 

This isn’t Walters’ first time directing. The man already has a short film as well as episodes of Ackley Bridge and the upcoming A Thousand Blows under his belt, but Animol will mark his first time helming a feature length project. 

“Nick and I have worked together before and always wanted to create something bold—something that sparks conversation while delivering visual beauty. ANIMOL is deeply personal to me. It explores the struggle of being your authentic self in a world that often pressures you to conform—one of life’s greatest challenges. At its heart, this is a story about survival and the safety found in true connection. It’s not about the ‘what’; it’s about the ‘why.’ I couldn’t be more excited to bring my debut feature to life with such an incredible team,” Walters said of the film’s beginnings. 

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Sky, Film4 and the BFI are all backing the project and Ollie Madden, Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, says Walters has been developing the project for six years. “Ashley’s vision for the film is incredibly compelling and I’m confident his first feature as a director will be a knock-out,” he added.  

Louise Ortega, Senior Production and Development Executive at the BFI, described Animol as “propulsive, thrilling and urgently humanising”. 

We’re certainly excited to see what Walters is cooking. We’ll keep you posted on more news about Animol. 

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