Always on
This project successfully funded on 15th September 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Out on the Road - Feature Film
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
To raise £15,000 to complete the proof of concept for the first of its kind feature film set in Notting Hill Carnival -'Out on the Road'.
Out On The Road
Help us bring the first Notting Hill Carnival feature film told from inside the culture to life.
A story that came through me, and a journey I chose to carry.
In 2022, I had just finished my screenwriting course. I remember sitting comfortably in my room, telling myself, “I’m a screenwriter.” And then I asked myself a very simple question: “So, what film are you going to make? What does it look like? What is the film?”
I heard a voice very clearly in my mind and, in my experience, outside of myself: “You need to make a film about Carnival.”
My first reaction was, “Why me?”
My relationship with Notting Hill Carnival hadn't always been easy. I hadn't been since I was a child. As an adult, I found large crowds and groups overwhelming, and I had my own anxieties around being in those environments. I now understand much more about myself and the way I experience stimulation and the world around me.
So the idea that I was supposed to make a film about Carnival felt almost ironic.
But I listened.
I wanted to create a film that speaks to the Caribbean community first.
Carnival is more than a celebration. It carries our history, our culture, our freedom, our resilience and our connection to one another. It is something we return to and honour every year, but it can be difficult to explain exactly why it means so much to us. It’s something you have to experience, feel and live.
I wanted to create a story that captures that feeling — not just what Carnival looks like from the outside, but what it feels like to experience it as Caribbean people.
I wanted to explore what it means to be Caribbean, and ask: if I could take everything I feel about my culture, my heritage, my community and Carnival and somehow put it into one story, what would that look like?
At the heart of the film is a desire for us to remember what Carnival is at its core. To see ourselves reflected in it. To remember where we have come from, what our ancestors endured, what freedom and emancipation mean to us, and why we continue to gather, celebrate and carry this culture forward.
I want the film to become a form of remembrance and veneration something that allows Caribbean people to continuously see, feel and visualise our own journey, our history and the culture we have inherited and continue to create.
And then, secondly, I wanted to open that experience up to people who have never experienced Carnival or who may not understand what it means to the people who live it.
Rather than simply explaining Carnival to them, I wanted to invite them into it to experience the chaos, the joy, the music, the movement, the relationships, the community and the emotion through the eyes of someone who understands what it means to belong to this culture.
That became Out On The Road.
The film follows two sisters, Destiny and Faith, on Carnival Monday. Destiny is a masquerader who wakes up late and ropes her younger sister into helping her get to her Mas band before judging point.
What begins as a simple journey to the road becomes something much bigger. Along the way, they encounter the different elements that make up Notting Hill Carnival the local community, elders, family, Mas bands, sound systems, food traders and vendors, the crowds, the road itself, the music, the movement and eventually judging point.
For me, every part of Carnival matters. Every person contributes something. Every element is connected to the next. Every part tells a story.
It is a journey.
And that is what Out On The Road is really about: the journey, not the destination.
As Destiny and Faith make their way through Carnival, they encounter the ecosystem around them while also navigating their own relationship as sisters and rebuilding a connection that has been strained for years. The road becomes both a literal and emotional journey back to each other.
I believe the original calling came from my ancestors but not only my ancestors. It came from my connection to the Caribbean itself.
One of the strongest messages that continues to come through for me is this: why aren't we using our creativity to reshape our realities?
We have the ability to create something from nothing. To imagine something that doesn't yet exist and then bring it into physical form. To reshape our realities and create the life we want for ourselves not only individually, but collectively.
I believe that is part of the human experience. We are extensions of the Creator, constantly creating, reshaping and becoming.
And Carnival is one of the clearest examples of that creative energy that I have experienced.
It is an ecosystem. It holds so many people, stories, histories, energies and expressions in one space. People come together and share energy energy that can heal, awaken, celebrate life and create something new.
Carnival, not just in Notting Hill but across the Caribbean and the wider diaspora, is a massive pool of collective energy. Perhaps that is part of why people look forward to those two days every year.
For two days, people get to let themselves go. To be free. To step outside of the structures of everyday life. To celebrate. To remember. To reconnect.
But I keep asking myself: what if two days wasn't enough?
What if there were another way to remember that feeling? What if you could watch a film and be taken back there? What if a story could give you more than two days? What if it could help you remember what freedom feels like?
That is part of what I want Out On The Road to do.
I've been working independently in the film industry for the past three years, developing stories on behalf of creatives and people who simply have a story they need to tell. I take pride in that. I also take pride in bringing forward the stories and creative ideas of those who came before me the ancestors who, in my understanding, continue to call on me to bring their ideas to life.
Sometimes that idea is a film. Sometimes it's a business Sometimes it's a book. It could be a poem. It could be a song. Whatever form it takes, I'm willing to explore it.
Because my creative work isn't just about me. For me, it is about veneration. It is about honouring those who came before me and recognising that they have stories, ideas, knowledge and messages that still deserve to be brought into the world.
I am willing to carry them.
And Out On The Road is one of those stories.
Of course, knowing what you are called to create doesn't mean the journey is easy.
We have experienced a lot of blockages along the way. Some were expected. Some weren't. At the beginning of this journey, I was promised the world. And if you've worked independently in this industry, you probably understand what that means.
People can have big ideas. People can genuinely want to help. But wanting to help and having the capacity to help are two different things.
And that's okay. I chose to continue anyway. Not simply because it was convenient, and not because everything was in place, but because the calling was clear.
I believed that if I reached out to my community, they would help me find a way forward. So I reached out.
That's how we raised the first round of money that got us to the road.
We still faced challenges during production. There was resistance. There were moments where I had to figure things out as I went. But my team and I did our absolute best.
And we made something. Something I'm incredibly proud of.
We shot the proof of concept at Carnival.
The feeling I had while making this film was the same feeling I see in people when they're at Carnival that feeling of being free, light and completely present. I could see that same energy moving through the people who were involved in making it.
And that's when I knew:
This is why we came.
I believe Out On The Road can be an awakening. A catalyst for change, healing, remembrance and veneration.
It opens up a conversation about what Carnival is beyond the surface its history, why it was created, why it has survived and why it continues to exist across the Caribbean, the diaspora and different parts of the world.
It creates an opportunity for two worlds the spiritual and the physical to meet. To celebrate what it means to be Caribbean. What it means to be alive. What it means to be free. What it means to be emancipated.
I think that is part of why Carnival resonates so deeply, not only within Caribbean and Black communities but with people from many different backgrounds.
For a moment, we get to step outside of the structures of society. Outside of work. Outside of everyday stress.
And experience freedom.
Out On The Road is an opportunity to explore that feeling through story.
I'm not just trying to make one film.
I'm building a legacy. I'm building a trust of Caribbean narratives and stories. I'm creating an opportunity to showcase what can happen when you honour your heritage, follow a creative and spiritual calling, and use your skills to bring an idea into physical form.
And from there, I want to build more opportunities for filmmakers, writers, storytellers, young creatives and people with stories that haven't yet found their way onto the screen.
I want to see more narratives that showcase our culture in unique ways - film, television, documentary, whatever form the story needs to take.
But I also want to build the structures around those stories through production companies, strong investment, partnerships and sustainable creative opportunities.
Every journey has to start somewhere.
This is where I've started.
We have already taken the first step. We have written the story. We built the team. We raised what we could. We got ourselves to Carnival. And we captured the beginning of this world.
Now we need to take it further.
I'm still one person at the beginning of this journey. But I don't believe I'm supposed to carry it alone.
I believe the message came to me because I was willing to listen. Maybe someone else heard something similar and didn't act on it. Maybe someone else will hear it tomorrow.
But I accepted the message.
And I'm going to carry it as far as I can and see where it takes me.
HELP US TAKE THE NEXT STEP
We are currently raising funds to take Out On The Road into its next stage and properly honour the people who helped us bring the proof of concept to life.
Our immediate goal is £5,000, which will allow us to properly compensate the cast and crew who worked on the Carnival shoot.
At £10,000, we can complete the proof of concept, including editing and any necessary reshoots or additional scenes.
At £15,000, we can develop the project further towards the full feature, creating the materials and foundation needed to approach production companies, investors and wider partners.
If you believe in the importance of Caribbean stories, if you've ever felt the power of Carnival, if you believe our culture deserves to be represented with care, depth and ambition, or if you simply believe in what we're trying to build, you can help us take the next step.
You can donate, share the project, introduce us to someone who could help, offer in-kind support, connect us with a brand or organisation, or simply help us get this story in front of the right people.
This is bigger than one film.
It is about making space for stories that should already exist.
It is about ownership, creativity, culture, remembrance and creating something for the people who come after us.
We've started the journey.
Now we're asking you to come Out On The Road with us
Thank you
-Kesi Steven
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made