Two best friends spend an evening together, but as wine flows and old habits resurface, playful moments give way to deeper tensions. Boundaries blur, and both are forced to reckon with what's been left unsaid.
What can you tell me about Young Wild Things?
It’s a deeply personal story about those moments that stay with you forever. In which a line gets crossed, and you end up replaying the event in your head, eternally trying to understand why it happened.
It’s a deeply personal story about those moments that stay with you forever. In which a line gets crossed, and you end up replaying the event in your head, eternally trying to understand why it happened.
More specifically, it’s a film that explores the dynamics of controlling friendships. I wanted to dive deep into a single expression of this control manifested as abuse and to show it in its most vulnerable form.
The violation of someone’s boundaries can be caused by a perceived (or real) loss of control. It’s fear that is driving violence most of the time. I wanted to show that.
How did the working relationship between yourselves begin?
We met at the London Short Film Festival in January 2025 after one of the industry screenings. We connected there and a little while later, after Inés watched Inherent, a short I co-produced that was nominated for Best UK Short at the Unrestricted View Film Festival, she sent me the Young Wild Things script and asked if I’d be up for helping bring it to life.
We met at the London Short Film Festival in January 2025 after one of the industry screenings. We connected there and a little while later, after Inés watched Inherent, a short I co-produced that was nominated for Best UK Short at the Unrestricted View Film Festival, she sent me the Young Wild Things script and asked if I’d be up for helping bring it to life.
I oversaw the project from start to finish, supporting the director’s vision at every stage. That included giving feedback on the script, helping build the crew, managing the budget, and making sure things ran smoothly on shoot days. I’m now collaborating on the promo, marketing, and festival strategy. It’s been full-on, but worth it.
What drew me to Young Wild Things was the theme of boundaries how they show up in all kinds of relationships, not just romantic ones, and how difficult they can be to define in less intimate dynamics. The script offered a fresh take on that, and Inés had a clear voice from the very beginning.
It felt important to protect that voice while building the right team around her. We kept the set intimate, and the cast brought something really special. It was a privilege to help bring this story to life.
It felt important to protect that voice while building the right team around her. We kept the set intimate, and the cast brought something really special. It was a privilege to help bring this story to life.
What inspired the creation of Young Wild Things?
It was a personal story, very similar to the one in the short, but told with a different context and circumstances. In a way, I wanted to exorcise myself of that event and let it exist outside of myself in the world of art and subjective interpretation, where it no longer belongs to me. I think I was also trying to understand that personal event within a bigger context of queer identity. Indeed, queer people can face a lot of awkward moments when coming out and since I have made the short, many people have shared with me similar experiences.
It was a personal story, very similar to the one in the short, but told with a different context and circumstances. In a way, I wanted to exorcise myself of that event and let it exist outside of myself in the world of art and subjective interpretation, where it no longer belongs to me. I think I was also trying to understand that personal event within a bigger context of queer identity. Indeed, queer people can face a lot of awkward moments when coming out and since I have made the short, many people have shared with me similar experiences.
How much of yourself do you see in the film?
Honestly, despite it being based on a personal story and despite having written it myself, I don’t see myself in the film at all, which is precisely what I wanted. I have detached myself from the story to let it become an entity of its own. That being said, Ido see myself in the intensity of the emotions that I wanted to transmit.
Honestly, despite it being based on a personal story and despite having written it myself, I don’t see myself in the film at all, which is precisely what I wanted. I have detached myself from the story to let it become an entity of its own. That being said, Ido see myself in the intensity of the emotions that I wanted to transmit.
Did you have to do any research whilst you were preparing the script and for filming?
Since it is based on a personal story, there was no need to research the topic. However, it did allow me to speak to many other queer people about this subject and it was interesting to realize how common it is.
The casting of both Lashay Anderson and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers is magnificent, how did you approach that casting process?
The credit here goes to our wonderful casting director Kerry Grainger, who was able to move the story and attract the best talent.
What was the moment like when you first saw the completed film?
It’s quite a process to put together every part of the puzzle of a short film. The last thing we did was the colour grade, and it completely changed the look and feel of the film. It made it come alive in a way that it hadn’t before, and I was happy to see how much it brought the core themes of the film forward. It’s also a huge relief to complete a project.
What do you hope someone takes away from seeing the film?
I hope that other queer people will feel seen and that it rises interesting conversations regarding narcissicm and toxic friendship. I haven’t seen many films featuring the topic of friendship between a queer and straight person, and I wanted to explore those dynamics and shed some light on them.
Since it is based on a personal story, there was no need to research the topic. However, it did allow me to speak to many other queer people about this subject and it was interesting to realize how common it is.
The casting of both Lashay Anderson and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers is magnificent, how did you approach that casting process?
The credit here goes to our wonderful casting director Kerry Grainger, who was able to move the story and attract the best talent.
What was the moment like when you first saw the completed film?
It’s quite a process to put together every part of the puzzle of a short film. The last thing we did was the colour grade, and it completely changed the look and feel of the film. It made it come alive in a way that it hadn’t before, and I was happy to see how much it brought the core themes of the film forward. It’s also a huge relief to complete a project.
What do you hope someone takes away from seeing the film?
I hope that other queer people will feel seen and that it rises interesting conversations regarding narcissicm and toxic friendship. I haven’t seen many films featuring the topic of friendship between a queer and straight person, and I wanted to explore those dynamics and shed some light on them.
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What are your hopes for the film going forwards?
I am quite a new filmmaker. This is the first short that I direct. I have produced another short in the past so my hopes are that it gets picked up by festivals so that I can continue making films. There are many stories that I would love to tell.
I am quite a new filmmaker. This is the first short that I direct. I have produced another short in the past so my hopes are that it gets picked up by festivals so that I can continue making films. There are many stories that I would love to tell.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
Inés isn’t on Instagram yet but hopes to set something up soon so stay tuned.
You can follow Waju Studios on Instagram at @waju.studiosand visit www.wajustudios.com for updates on Young Wild Things and other projects.
Lanre Danmola, the producer, is also on Instagram at @lanredan19.
Inés isn’t on Instagram yet but hopes to set something up soon so stay tuned.
You can follow Waju Studios on Instagram at @waju.studiosand visit www.wajustudios.com for updates on Young Wild Things and other projects.
Lanre Danmola, the producer, is also on Instagram at @lanredan19.
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