When 29-year-old Mark Duggan was shot and killed by the Metropolitan Police in Tottenham at 6.41pm on August 4, 2011, one of the worst riots of recent British history ensued. People all over the world watched the news in horror as London became engulfed by flames, high street shops were looted, people were beaten up and buildings set alight.

The unrest spiralled out of control and over the weekend spread to Tottenham Hale, Wood Green, Chingford Mount, Enfield, Islington, Ponders End and Walthamstow and Oxford Circus. By Monday the disorder spread to Bethnal Green, Camden, Bromley, Clapham, Hackney, Croydon and other surrounding districts.

Tuesday, August 9 saw other cities copying the violence and more than 3,000 people were arrested and five killed during the disturbances, which lasted less than a week.

Tensions between the police and the black community had been present for several years, particularly in Tottenham's Broadwater Farm estate, since the violent clashes in 1985, which resulted in PC Keith Blakelock being stabbed to death.

Mark’s family protested that he was wrongly being pursued by police on the day he was shot. Believed to have been in possession of a gun, the minicab he was travelling in was pulled over by police in a 'hard stop' - a planned operation where armed officers deliberately intercept a vehicle to confront suspects. He was shot in the chest after leaving the taxi.

His friends and family were angry, as they believed he did not have a weapon on him and took part in a demonstration outside the Tottenham Police Station a couple of days later.

Filmmaker George Amponsah was in Fulham during the violence and witnessed the atmosphere and flames in the city. He wanted to tell the story from the perspective of those who were caught up in the riots and managed to win over the trust of Mark’s closest friends, Marcus Knox-Hooke and Kurtis Henville. His documentary follows their story over the past few years in their attempts to rebuild their lives after Marcus faced a stint in prison for his involvement in the events and Kurtis struggled to find employment.

George admits he was fascinated to work with the pair and see the story from their perspective.

He says: “When I met them, I realised I was speaking with the people who knew Mark from childhood and had the same background and I saw them as people who had a genuine reason for starting the riots.

“I met them at a key point in their lives, as they were at a crossroads and so I had to win their trust, which took a bit of time. They were dealing with all sorts of hardships, including bereavement, loss, imprisonment and unemployment and I guess they were going through an intense, sinking chapter, while also waiting to see if justice was going to be served.

“I started to realise that I wasn’t going to get the truth, as their point of view about Mark Duggan was always going to be biased because as far as they concerned he was family. However, you see their actions and see they are trying to change and in that respect, that was the kind of truth I saw in the film.”

George was intrigued by the story as he felt it was an issue that affected people in London and across the country, who desperately want to see social change and changes to attitudes between black people and the police.

He wanted to make the film as he has always been interested in exploring identity.

He says: “In the past, I’ve followed stories over the course of a couple of years and they have mostly been stories about Africa and following the diaspora. With The Hard Stop, I wanted to do something about my home and what I’ve learnt.

“I became interested in filmmaking after studying a BA in Fine Art at the University of East London in the late 1980s. It was a great opportunity for me to get my hands on all their film equipment and edit suites.

“In 1997, I made a film about my twin brother, called One Plus One and the whole thing was about the reality of being a twin and dealing with him being in the British Army, while I was in art school. We went to Ghana to see our long lost father for the first time in 20 years and filmed over there to try to and discover a bit more about our identity.

“I think I will do another documentary in the future, but I’m not sure what will be next. I will always be passionate about documentaries and real stories because I think there is no way you can beat that.

"You don’t need a film budget and special effects, you just need a story.”

The Hard Stop, on general release July 15. Details: facebook.com/TheHardStopFilm