Two Black Boys in Paradise wins ‘British Short Animation’ at 2026 BAFTAs
"As a Black gay man, I rarely get to see myself onscreen," said executive producer Dean Atta
By Aaron Sugg
Two Black Boys in Paradise won ‘British Short Animation’ at the 2026 BAFTAs last night (22 February), a stop-motion animated short inspired by poet Dean Atta.
Directed by Baz Sells and narrated by Jordan Stephens, the nine-minute film follows two Black queer teens navigating a modern world where their sexuality and the colour of their skin are discriminated against.
Accepting the award was former Attitude cover star Atta, alongside producer Ben Jackson and director Baz Sells, where Atta spoke about representation in film.
“As a Black gay man, I rarely get to see myself onscreen” – Dean Atta accepting the BAFTA for Two Black Boys in Paradise
Clutching the prestigious award in front of the likes of the Prince and Princess of Wales, he said, “As a Black gay man, I rarely get to see myself onscreen in something that isn’t a tragedy.”
Atta continued: “Thank you to our director Baz Sells and our producer Ben Jackson for leading a team of over 100 people for five years to bring my poem to life as a beautiful nine-minute stop-motion animation.”
Sells added in a news release: “The recognition is incredibly welcome because so many people worked so hard. There were a lot of tough challenges that were only overcome because we had such an extraordinary crew.”
He continued: “I’m so proud of Ben and Dean for bringing their stories to the screen and allowing us collectively to share it with the world.”
Before accepting the BAFTA, the production team spoke with Queerly on the red carpet, after being nominated on 27 January 2026.
“It’s been such an incredible journey” – Atta on Two Black Boys in Paradise production
Atta said, “It’s been such an incredible journey. I saw Black and queer stories but they were always tragedies, so I’m so glad we have the opportunity to tell a joyous story.”
He continued, “There are some struggles within our story, but they overcome them and they’re celebrated, and they’re joyous at the end – and that’s what I needed to see when I was younger.”
Drawn from Atta’s acclaimed poetry collection There Is (Still) Love Here, Two Black Boys in Paradise reimagines the story of Adam and Eve through a modern-day lens.
Two Black Boys in paradise first screened at BFI Flare 2025
Speaking previously with Attitude, he said the short film had personal meaning, healing his younger self during a time when he thought he was going to hell for being gay.
On the characterisation of protagonists Eden, 18, and Dula, 19, Atta said, “They are an escape from a world that seeks to oppress and discriminate against them. We created them as this couple that exists both in paradise and in what we call the real world, or the market stall, as you see it represented.”
The film was first screened at BFI Flare 2025 as part of the festival’s To Your Souls programme of short films, with the LGBTQ+ London film festival set to return on 8 March 2026.
Two Black Boys in Paradise is available to watch now on Channel 4.
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