IN CONVERSATION WITH AARON TRUSS

Director Aaron Truss has released a new documentary called (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER, which focuses on his friend, murdered Harry Potter actor Rob Knox, and the epidemic of knife crime in the UK. Knox was murdered at the age of just eighteen in 2008, before the release of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE, in which he played Marcus Belby. Since he played a role in such a major blockbuster film, it goes without saying that Knox could have had a fantastic acting career if his life had not been tragically cut short.

Filmed at the world premiere of Truss’ previous documentary, (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY, the documentary features footage and interviews from the event, with the attendees offering their own honest and unique insights.

(K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER, is a documentary which everyone needs to see, highlighting the important issue of knife crime in a deeply informative way. Hopefully, its release will help to keep the topic of knife crime in the public discourse, while also shedding light on the life of a young man who sadly left the world far too soon.

In conversation with David Gelmini, Aaron Truss discusses the documentary, the reality of the knife crime epidemic and how he has been able to pay homage to his friend in his upcoming feature EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD. 

Can you give us an overview of (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER?

AARON TRUSS (AT): (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER is a short follow up documentary to (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY, which takes place at the World premiere of the Director's Cut at Picturehouse Central. It focuses mainly on events that have taken place since the launch of the original documentary (which at this point is 16 years after Rob's passing). We focus mainly on the reaction to the original documentary from audiences all over the world, some who have kindly platformed Rob's story on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, as well as influencers to True Crime podcasts. We also follow Rob's father, Colin and Martin Cosser (who also lost his son, Charlie to knife crime) and their mission to bring more awareness to knife crime in schools in the UK. The film is very much a promotion for the original documentary, but with the freedom of YouTube, we can spread the awareness even further. We've brought back Ray Winstone to share his thoughts since filming the documentary to see if there's been progress since, as well as Rob's parents, friends and other industry names such as Nicholas Vince, Simon Boswell, Ellie Rae Winstone, Sean Cronin, and many more.

Since most of (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER was filmed at the world premiere of the extended edition of (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY, can you discuss how the evening went down?

AT: It was a very nerve-wracking day for me, in particular. I normally don't get nervous at these types of events, but this was the first time we had hosted an event with our new partners at Picturehouse and I was incredibly worried that something would go wrong. It's different to events involving PAREIDOLIA or CULT OF VHS because it's such a sensitive subject and I want to make sure we're respectful to Rob's memory. We had a Q&A lined up with Paul McEvoy from Stark Raving Cinema, we had The Cauldron Co. attending to debut their new cocktail in Rob's memory and we also had people attending that have been affected by knife crime. Once myself and my team arrived at Picturehouse Central (Alice Amata, Jake West, Ignacio Mazuecos and Kathy Wieczorek), I felt much more at ease and felt ready to get on with the tasks at hand. If it wasn't for this core team, the evening would not have gone to plan.

I had designed a graphic for the big screen as people were entering with the numbers 3487, which is the number of recorded homicides with a knife (or sharp object) in the UK since the year of Rob's murder in 2008. I wanted to shock people mainly, it was a way of saying - this isn't just a film, this is our reality. 

Thankfully, the night was successful. We were greeted by a very gracious audience who listened and participated in the Q&A after the screening. Ray and Colin were on top form, speaking from their hearts about what should happen to prevent more needless deaths because of knife carriers. When I rewatched Nicholas Vince's interview that Jake West had conducted, I wept. Nicholas truly understood the issue and shared some deep, personal feelings on the matter. The light side of it, in regard to the Rob Knox-Tail was a huge triumph - and tasty too. Alice had worked with Matthew Cortland at The Cauldron Co. to bring something special to the night and something I feel Rob would have approved of.

Why did you decide to make a second documentary about Rob?

AT: I had no intention of making another film about Rob, I felt we said all we could say in (K)NOX: THE ROB KNOX STORY. It was only after watching Ray Winstone and others giving their thoughts on knife crime and their reaction to seeing the documentary on the big screen that I felt we had a little bit more left in the tank. The documentary is available to watch around the world, except the UK as our 2 Exclusive deal with ITVX has come to an end - so we're currently looking for a new platform to continue his legacy. With (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER, we're still able to promote Rob's story and get people interested in tuning in around the world. Promotion is a very big deal for me, and I've always felt that we have to push harder than television/streaming, we don't just stop once we've signed another deal - The Foundation must continue fighting from our side too.

Since the film largely focuses on knife crime, what do you hope will be the main takeaway from (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER?

AT: I hope people who don't know Rob's story will want to tune in and watch (K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER. I hope people share his story, recommend it to friends and family, and keep the discussion going. If people stop talking, we're in real trouble. If people stop listening, then we've failed.

What do you think should be done about the epidemic of knife crime in the UK?

AT: I think more education is needed on both sides, I fully support Charlie's Promise in particular, as they're currently going into schools and talking to kids. Front line stuff. We need to keep the issue platformed in a way that engages the general public who haven't been affected yet. I never thought about knife crime before Rob died, and why would I? It had nothing to do with me before. Now, knife crime is more rife than ever. Every morning, I see a new report of a kid being stabbed, same headline, different face. It has to stop. I really want to take this moment to give a huge shout out to Stephen Graham and the team behind ADOLESCENCE on Netflix as they've done a fantastic job of putting a lot of youth and parental issues under the microscope. What starts as a knife crime story then begins to unfold and explores the wider social issues and it's done incredibly well. Maybe being at the number one spot in the UK Netflix charts will have an impact. We're all striving for the same goal, and even Idris Elba is doing some fantastic work. We just have to keep pushing!

And can you discuss your upcoming feature-length adaptation of EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD? I understand that Rob will be featured as a character in the film?

AT: I can't say too much about EMPLOYEE OF THE DEAD at the moment as we're still in the early stages of script development, we're currently at our sixth draft and we've had some fantastic feedback from industry folks who've given their time just to help out and make suggestions/improvements. The story is based on true events from when Rob, Joe Acres and our friends took over a Sainsbury's night shift to shoot a zombie film in less than 48 hours. Joe Acres and I spent months on shaping the story, the characters, how we would involve Rob in a respectful but honest way, etc. It's been so much fun so far, and it feels like the most honest project I've ever embarked on. I am so proud of how it's taking shape. A few people have brought up the obvious comparisons, like SHAUN OF THE DEAD or ONE CUT OF THE DEAD, but honestly it couldn't be further from those films. If I had to draw on comparisons, I'd go with SON OF RAMBOW if I had to.

It's a comedy and it’s a love letter to horror films (especially zombie films) and first-time filmmakers, struggling with all the pitfalls that come with picking up a camera and embarking on their first venture. That's all I can really say for now, I don't want to give too much away, and I like that a lot of the story and plans for it are being kept under wraps as it allows Joe, Jake, myself, and our team to operate without any pressure. 

David Gelmini

(K)NOX: 16 YEARS LATER Years is available on YouTube, click here to watch.