What's Left After The Wave Hits?
A 2024 film by Nia Fekri and Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani, in collaboration with YWMP and the young people in the project.
A wave stands tall, strong and calm for a moment. The build-up is like the journey, the crash comes down like grief. What’s left after the wave hits? Often the residue left behind is overlooked and left to wash away. This is our moment to examine it and remember what’s left behind.
Over the course of 12 minutes, filmmaker Fekri takes viewers on an artistic storytelling adventure, marking Tehrani’s 20 years of involvement with the charity YWMP.
Shot predominantly by Fekri in black and white using 16mm film, What’s Left After The Wave Hits? begins by exploring the difficult journey Tehrani experienced as a young person wanting to be a musician.
The film has been made in collaboration with young people involved in YWMP who had the chance to show their version of the story through Fekri’s lens.
Tehrani was raised in a mixed heritage home; her mum an Irish Catholic, her father a Muslim Iranian. It was a tough upbringing, and one in which Tehrani couldn’t find the care to attend school. Music was the passion from the start, and Tehrani needed to find a way in.
A difficult beat taught by Kate Garrett (founder of YWMP) started something off. Incorporating it into the first song she ever released, Tehrani felt like she was finally being listened to. She had a CD she could show people, and it made music a real tangible thing. Not just Tehrani alone with her drums or her band.
“The only safe spaces I have are the ones I create”.
Being out of control in how the music scene existed in Oxford, the drum kit was a way for Tehrani to process trauma through bilateral stimulation.
A constant battle between wanting to progress in the music industry, while creating boundaries, staying safe, and away from sexual predators was what Tehrani had to navigate at just 18 years old. Working with Garrett, developing her own music, and progressing with YWMP as a place that is safe took years of work.
These are all still issues. Meeting Garrett not only gave Tehrani an opportunity to work, but also a chance to give back to the community. Garrett was present, she had Tehrani’s back, and gave support when there were so many predators. She was the safety moment. But losing a mentor at such a pivotal moment in Tehrani’s journey from vulnerable young person to adult, meant what came next was a lot of responsibility.
“The project now feels like my vision and my story is embedded in the narrative of YWMP.”
Marginalised people are not given the correct space to function in. It’s not about the four walls, not about where, but about who/what/why. YWMP was going to be homeless at one point, but through dedication, they found a way out. This film showcases the power good mentorship, good people and great passion can do.
“The project helps them believe that anything is possible, especially at times when they feel like they don’t have any hope.”
Keep rolling until you reach the credits, then sit back and enjoy an alternative Disney ending…
Capacity: 88 maximum.