Directed by acclaimed British filmmaker Sarah Gavron and written by Theresa Ikoko (winner of the Alfred Fagon award in 2015 for her play ‘Girls’) and Claire Wilson (Little Drummer Girl, Gangs of London), the film was uniquely crafted in collaboration with their mostly first-time actors, Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, Shaneigha-Monik Greyson, Ruby Stokes, Tawheda Begum, Anastasia Dymitrow and Afi Okaidja. This eventual core group of British girls, who all come from differing cultural backgrounds including Nigerian, Somali, Polish, Bangladeshi, English and Congolese-Ghanaian, emerged out of extensive workshops in which they generously shared their experiences of growing up in the UK, friendship, their cultural identities, social media, and their school life.
The film follows teenager Rocks (Bukky Bakray) who fears that she and her little brother Emmanuel (D’angelou Osei Kissiedu) will be forced apart if anyone finds out they are living alone. With the help of her friends, she evades the authorities and navigates the most defining days of her life. Rocks is a film about the joy, resilience and spirit of girlhood.