It’s always great to see homegrown talent getting their chances in the UK film industry and Ashley Walters‘ has certainly spent a lot of time building both his own filmography and expanding his knowledge, and this trailer for his directorial debut Animol, looks like another impressive step up the ladder.

A Sky Original, the film debuts at the London Film Festival on 11th October, where it will be presented in the Sutherland Competition, and takes us behind the walls of a juvenile detention centre, where Troy (Tut Nyuot) is thrust into a brutal world of gangs and trouble. While his cellmate favours violence to survive, an unexpected bond is formed with another inmate, which offers hope but pushes them to the edge of vulnerability – take a watch:

Written by Nick Love, Animol stars upcoming talents Nyuot and Vladyslav Baliuk as Krystian, two teenagers embroiled in the prison’s harsh environment, alongside the legend Stephen Graham and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Troy’s mother.

Director Walters had this to say:

I make movies because I want to entertain people but it’s important that it creates a conversation, and I really do think Animol will. I want to show this genre of film in a different light to what we’ve seen before in the UK. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created and I am excited for audiences to get a taste of Animol in our new trailer ahead of the premiere at London Film Festival.

Animol premieres at LFF 2026 and comes to UK cinemas soon, we’ll update you as we hear!