Director Horace Ové, who directed “Pressure” — the first full-length Black British movie — has died at the age of 86. His death was confirmed by his son, Zak, who wrote on Facebook Saturday, “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully.”
He continued, “I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové was born in Trinidad and moved to London in 1960. He also spent time living in Rome, where he worked as an extra before returning to the United Kingdom in 1965. As a photographer, he captured portraits of some of the foremost leaders of the British Black Power movement, including Michael X, Darcus Howe and Stokely Carmichael.
His transition into filmmaking happened at the same time, first with the short “The Art of...
He continued, “I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové was born in Trinidad and moved to London in 1960. He also spent time living in Rome, where he worked as an extra before returning to the United Kingdom in 1965. As a photographer, he captured portraits of some of the foremost leaders of the British Black Power movement, including Michael X, Darcus Howe and Stokely Carmichael.
His transition into filmmaking happened at the same time, first with the short “The Art of...
- 9/17/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Horace Ové, director of “Pressure” (1976), the first full-length Black British film, died on Sept. 16. He was 86.
Ové’s son Zak posted on Facebook: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové’s moved to London in 1960 to study interior design. A stint in Rome, during which he worked as a film extra including on Joseph Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra” (1963), he was exposed to the work of Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica, who would become infuences. He returned to Britain in 1965 and covered social and political events in the country while being a student at the London Film School. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the...
Ové’s son Zak posted on Facebook: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové’s moved to London in 1960 to study interior design. A stint in Rome, during which he worked as a film extra including on Joseph Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra” (1963), he was exposed to the work of Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica, who would become infuences. He returned to Britain in 1965 and covered social and political events in the country while being a student at the London Film School. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the...
- 9/17/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Small Axe star Malachi Kirby has boarded Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, the Victorian boxing period drama penned by Steven Knight and starring Stephen Graham.
Kirby, who also led the A+E remake of Roots, will play Hezekiah Moscow, Deadline understands. Along with best friend Alec Munroe, Hezekiah travels to London from Jamaica and finds himself thrust into the criminal underbelly of the capital’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise. Alec Munroe’s casting is yet to be revealed.
The six-part show for Disney+ vertical Star and Hulu in the U.S. was one of the biggest budget projects to emerge from last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival and will see Graham play Sugar Goodson,...
Kirby, who also led the A+E remake of Roots, will play Hezekiah Moscow, Deadline understands. Along with best friend Alec Munroe, Hezekiah travels to London from Jamaica and finds himself thrust into the criminal underbelly of the capital’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise. Alec Munroe’s casting is yet to be revealed.
The six-part show for Disney+ vertical Star and Hulu in the U.S. was one of the biggest budget projects to emerge from last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival and will see Graham play Sugar Goodson,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Steve McQueen’s 2020 anthology film series “Small Axe” grew out of a desire to shed light on Black resistance movements in Britain, between the 1960s and 1980s. So, too, does a complementary new franchise of individual documentaries, executive produced by McQueen, which chronicle pivotal stories from recent British history largely ignored by media. Viewed collectively, the films make it clear that McQueen almost single-handedly aims to disrupt the preferred timeline with films that detail tumultuous crusades for change that cross borders, and still very much resonate today.
“When I was growing up, we did not learn about our own history unfortunately, which is why ‘Roots’ was so popular,” McQueen said, referring to the multiple Emmy-winning 1977 television miniseries. “Anything about any kind of Black history, even if it wasn’t great, or even if it wasn’t necessarily positive, Black people would flock to the television. I remember the streets were...
“When I was growing up, we did not learn about our own history unfortunately, which is why ‘Roots’ was so popular,” McQueen said, referring to the multiple Emmy-winning 1977 television miniseries. “Anything about any kind of Black history, even if it wasn’t great, or even if it wasn’t necessarily positive, Black people would flock to the television. I remember the streets were...
- 9/20/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Malachi Kirby, the British actor who recently won a BAFTA TV award for his portrayal of Darcus Howe in Mangrove, part of Steve McQueen’s BBC/Amazon anthology series Small Axe, is set to reunite with Amazon, taking the lead in its recently-ordered upcoming drama Anansi Boys, based on Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel.
Kirby, also known for Roots and Black Mirror, joins the already announced Delroy Lindo and will play the dual lead roles of brothers Charles Nancy and Spider. The six-part limited series will begin filming in Scotland later this year.
The Anansi Boys casting was announced during a major Amazon event held in London on Tuesday ...
Kirby, also known for Roots and Black Mirror, joins the already announced Delroy Lindo and will play the dual lead roles of brothers Charles Nancy and Spider. The six-part limited series will begin filming in Scotland later this year.
The Anansi Boys casting was announced during a major Amazon event held in London on Tuesday ...
- 9/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Malachi Kirby, the British actor who recently won a BAFTA TV award for his portrayal of Darcus Howe in Mangrove, part of Steve McQueen’s BBC/Amazon anthology series Small Axe, is set to reunite with Amazon, taking the lead in its recently-ordered upcoming drama Anansi Boys, based on Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel.
Kirby, also known for Roots and Black Mirror, joins the already announced Delroy Lindo and will play the dual lead roles of brothers Charles Nancy and Spider. The six-part limited series will begin filming in Scotland later this year.
The Anansi Boys casting was announced during a major Amazon event held in London on Tuesday ...
Kirby, also known for Roots and Black Mirror, joins the already announced Delroy Lindo and will play the dual lead roles of brothers Charles Nancy and Spider. The six-part limited series will begin filming in Scotland later this year.
The Anansi Boys casting was announced during a major Amazon event held in London on Tuesday ...
- 9/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
September is shaping up to be a great month for fans of Steve McQueen. Amazon announced on Monday that three of the Academy Award-winning filmmaker’s new documentaries will premiere on the Prime Video streaming service in September. McQueen co-directed one of the three films and produced each one.
All three documentaries — “Uprising,” “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance,” and “Subnormal: A British Scandal” — explore key themes and events depicted in McQueen’s award-winning “Small Axe“ anthology, which is currently streaming on Prime Video. Each documentary features first-hand interviews with key participants in the events, many of whom are telling their stories for the first time. McQueen is an executive producer on all three documentaries alongside James Rogan, Tracey Scoffield, and Soleta Rogan. The documentaries will premiere on September 17.
Per Amazon, “Uprising” is a vivid and visceral three-part documentary series (comprised of three hour-long episodes) examining three events from...
All three documentaries — “Uprising,” “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance,” and “Subnormal: A British Scandal” — explore key themes and events depicted in McQueen’s award-winning “Small Axe“ anthology, which is currently streaming on Prime Video. Each documentary features first-hand interviews with key participants in the events, many of whom are telling their stories for the first time. McQueen is an executive producer on all three documentaries alongside James Rogan, Tracey Scoffield, and Soleta Rogan. The documentaries will premiere on September 17.
Per Amazon, “Uprising” is a vivid and visceral three-part documentary series (comprised of three hour-long episodes) examining three events from...
- 8/31/2021
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Steve McQueen will premiere three new documentaries — “Uprising,” “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance” and “Subnormal: A British Scandal” — on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 17.
Directed by McQueen and James Rogan, “Uprising” is a three-part docuseries that examines three events from 1981 in the U.K. — The New Cross Fire, which killed 13 Black youths; the Black People’s Day of Action, which saw over 20,000 join the first organized mass protest of Black British people; and the Brixton riots, a series of clashes between Black youths and the Metropolitan Police. “Uprising” will explore how these events are intertwined and how they defined race relations for a generation.
Helmed by George Amponsah, “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance” tells the story of the Black Power movement in Britain. Featuring rare archival footage of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in the U.K. — along with footage...
Directed by McQueen and James Rogan, “Uprising” is a three-part docuseries that examines three events from 1981 in the U.K. — The New Cross Fire, which killed 13 Black youths; the Black People’s Day of Action, which saw over 20,000 join the first organized mass protest of Black British people; and the Brixton riots, a series of clashes between Black youths and the Metropolitan Police. “Uprising” will explore how these events are intertwined and how they defined race relations for a generation.
Helmed by George Amponsah, “Black Power: A British Story of Resistance” tells the story of the Black Power movement in Britain. Featuring rare archival footage of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in the U.K. — along with footage...
- 8/30/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
“This trial is about more than just our freedom,” declares Letitia Wright’s Altheia Jones-LeCointe to the unsteady Shaun Parkes-portrayed Frank Crichlow in Small Axe: Mangrove.
“What is being called into question in this case is the right of anybody, not just Black people, but the right of anybody to demonstrate,” the Black Panther leader says to the Notting Hill restaurant owner as they and the seven other defendants in the Mangrove Nine challenge the prejudices of British justice in the early 1970s-set Steve McQueen miniseries from Amazon. “So I’m not here just defending myself, but trying to defend us all”
Amidst an adroit depiction of the torturous real-life landmark UK discrimination case that turned a bright light on violent police harassment surrounding Crichlow’s joint and the neighborhood, Mangrove was not only directed by the 12 Years a Slave helmer, but also...
“What is being called into question in this case is the right of anybody, not just Black people, but the right of anybody to demonstrate,” the Black Panther leader says to the Notting Hill restaurant owner as they and the seven other defendants in the Mangrove Nine challenge the prejudices of British justice in the early 1970s-set Steve McQueen miniseries from Amazon. “So I’m not here just defending myself, but trying to defend us all”
Amidst an adroit depiction of the torturous real-life landmark UK discrimination case that turned a bright light on violent police harassment surrounding Crichlow’s joint and the neighborhood, Mangrove was not only directed by the 12 Years a Slave helmer, but also...
- 6/28/2021
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
After starring in Roots and as Darcus Howe in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, the actor is having fun in a new financial thriller and making sure his true voice is heard
“I’m used to always doing dramatic work,” says 31-year-old Malachi Kirby. “There is something about my face that people must enjoy seeing crying.” The London-born actor has made a name for himself in recent years playing a series of gut-wrenching, emotional heavyweights; first as Kunta Kinte in the 2016 remake of the wildly popular 1977 series Roots and then as real-life activist Darcus Howe in Mangrove, the opening episode of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series last year. Kirby seemed to empty all of himself into each character – from the rebellious slave Kinte to the fiercely hopeful Trinidadian orator Howe – not leaving a trace of his identity behind.
It is surprising, then, to encounter the real Kirby over video call: boyish,...
“I’m used to always doing dramatic work,” says 31-year-old Malachi Kirby. “There is something about my face that people must enjoy seeing crying.” The London-born actor has made a name for himself in recent years playing a series of gut-wrenching, emotional heavyweights; first as Kunta Kinte in the 2016 remake of the wildly popular 1977 series Roots and then as real-life activist Darcus Howe in Mangrove, the opening episode of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series last year. Kirby seemed to empty all of himself into each character – from the rebellious slave Kinte to the fiercely hopeful Trinidadian orator Howe – not leaving a trace of his identity behind.
It is surprising, then, to encounter the real Kirby over video call: boyish,...
- 2/7/2021
- by Ammar Kalia
- The Guardian - Film News
‘Small Axe’ Filmmaker Steve McQueen to Executive Produce BBC Films on Black Power, Education Scandal
Steve McQueen, currently riding a wave of global acclaim for his BBC/Amazon anthology “Small Axe,” will executive produce two Black-themed documentaries for the BBC.
“Black Power,” which originated from an idea McQueen had while filming “Small Axe,” will examine how the Black Power movement came into being in the late 1960s and fought back against police brutality and racism.
The films features rare archive of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in Britain, as well as footage of leading figures in the movement in the U.K., Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Darcus Howe and Roy Sawh. They shed fresh light on the stories of Black youth in the ’60s and ’70s who challenged the British establishment and helped to shape a new political and cultural landscape in the U.K.
BAFTA-nominated George Amponsah will direct the documentary, which will play on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
“Subnormal,...
“Black Power,” which originated from an idea McQueen had while filming “Small Axe,” will examine how the Black Power movement came into being in the late 1960s and fought back against police brutality and racism.
The films features rare archive of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in Britain, as well as footage of leading figures in the movement in the U.K., Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Darcus Howe and Roy Sawh. They shed fresh light on the stories of Black youth in the ’60s and ’70s who challenged the British establishment and helped to shape a new political and cultural landscape in the U.K.
BAFTA-nominated George Amponsah will direct the documentary, which will play on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
“Subnormal,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Steve McQueen is to executive produce two documentaries for the BBC that were conceived while shooting Small Axe. One will examine Black power in Britain, while the second film investigates how Black children in the 1960s and 1970s were disproportionately sent to schools for the so-called “educationally subnormal.”
Black Power (working title) is directed by BAFTA-nominated George Amponsah (Hard Stop) and looks at how the movement came into being in the late 1960s, when it fought back against police brutality and racism. The film will include rare footage of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in Britain, as well as footage of leading figures in the movement in the UK, including Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Darcus Howe, and Roy Sawh.
Subnormal is helmed by new talent Lyttanya Shannon. It tells the story of the UK schools scandal through the eyes of Black parents, teachers, and activists who banded...
Black Power (working title) is directed by BAFTA-nominated George Amponsah (Hard Stop) and looks at how the movement came into being in the late 1960s, when it fought back against police brutality and racism. The film will include rare footage of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael’s activities in Britain, as well as footage of leading figures in the movement in the UK, including Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Darcus Howe, and Roy Sawh.
Subnormal is helmed by new talent Lyttanya Shannon. It tells the story of the UK schools scandal through the eyes of Black parents, teachers, and activists who banded...
- 1/29/2021
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The first episode of Steve McQueen's anthology film series Small Axe officially premiered on Nov. 20, and we're already enthralled. The series is a collection of five original movies that explore the Black experience in the United Kingdom from the 1960s through the 1980s. The debut film, titled Mangrove, details the trial of nine Black activists who were charged with inciting riots in 1970. The accusation occurred after they protested police harassment of customers at The Mangrove, a Caribbean restaurant in Notting Hill where Black intellectuals and creatives often socialized.
One of the key figures and defendants in the trial was Darcus Howe (played by Malachi Kirby), who chose to represent himself. Born Leighton Rhett Radford Howe, the Trinidad native moved to London at the age of 18 after attending Queen's Royal College with the intent to become a lawyer. However, after experiencing racism in Britain in the early 1960s, he moved...
One of the key figures and defendants in the trial was Darcus Howe (played by Malachi Kirby), who chose to represent himself. Born Leighton Rhett Radford Howe, the Trinidad native moved to London at the age of 18 after attending Queen's Royal College with the intent to become a lawyer. However, after experiencing racism in Britain in the early 1960s, he moved...
- 11/21/2020
- by Brea Cubit
- Popsugar.com
“Mangrove,” now streaming on Amazon Prime, is the first in the five-part anthology, “Small Axe” by director Steve McQueen. Spanning two decades, the films are standalones tracing the West Indian experience with reggae music and costume tying all five films together.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran oversaw all five films, while individual designers worked on each installment. In “Mangrove,” Lisa Duncan created the looks for the film that tells the true story of the Mangrove Nine, who clashed with London police in 1970.
Duncan breaks down her process and crafting the looks of the characters Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby) and the British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright).
What were some of the conversations you had with Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Durran about capturing the look for “Mangrove?”
Jacqueline approached my agency to get me to come in and talk to her about Mangrove and the trial.
Costume designer Jacqueline Durran oversaw all five films, while individual designers worked on each installment. In “Mangrove,” Lisa Duncan created the looks for the film that tells the true story of the Mangrove Nine, who clashed with London police in 1970.
Duncan breaks down her process and crafting the looks of the characters Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby) and the British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright).
What were some of the conversations you had with Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Durran about capturing the look for “Mangrove?”
Jacqueline approached my agency to get me to come in and talk to her about Mangrove and the trial.
- 11/21/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Steve McQueen’s film about accused Black activists leads us into its characters’ humanity, while Aaron Sorkin’s flimsy, manipulative US drama bolsters the system
It’s no coincidence that two courtroom dramas such as Steve McQueen’s Mangrove and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 should have come out around the same time – both films owe something to a climate of radical protest and counterculture in reaction to Donald Trump’s America and the Tory Britain of the Windrush and Grenfell scandals. Yet the parallels between the two films feel strangely pert, and (to the detriment of The Trial of the Chicago 7) the differences between them are illuminating about the different politics on display.
Sorkin’s film centres on eight men charged, among other things, with incitement to riot in 1968. McQueen’s deals with nine Black activists in west London, charged with affray and incitement to riot,...
It’s no coincidence that two courtroom dramas such as Steve McQueen’s Mangrove and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 should have come out around the same time – both films owe something to a climate of radical protest and counterculture in reaction to Donald Trump’s America and the Tory Britain of the Windrush and Grenfell scandals. Yet the parallels between the two films feel strangely pert, and (to the detriment of The Trial of the Chicago 7) the differences between them are illuminating about the different politics on display.
Sorkin’s film centres on eight men charged, among other things, with incitement to riot in 1968. McQueen’s deals with nine Black activists in west London, charged with affray and incitement to riot,...
- 11/19/2020
- by Caspar Salmon
- The Guardian - Film News
Never has a BFI Lff opening night film felt so immediate, so relevant to real-life events right now. 2020 has been one hell of a year so far, but a positive takeaway is the exploration of what ‘Black Lives Matter’ means, regardless of individual racial identity.
Steve McQueen starts that discussion on film with the first of his Small Axe cinematic stories, Mangrove. The director explains that Small Axe comes from a West Indian proverb translated as “together we are strong”. Mangrove visually and verbally enforces this profound saying. At the same time, the film provokes a real sense of enlightenment and, equally, shame because it asks the question of why the real-life events behind it are not part of popular general knowledge.
Mangrove was the name of the real-life Caribbean restaurant located at 8, All Saints Road in London’s Notting Hill. Opened in 1968 by the late Trinidadian community activist and...
Steve McQueen starts that discussion on film with the first of his Small Axe cinematic stories, Mangrove. The director explains that Small Axe comes from a West Indian proverb translated as “together we are strong”. Mangrove visually and verbally enforces this profound saying. At the same time, the film provokes a real sense of enlightenment and, equally, shame because it asks the question of why the real-life events behind it are not part of popular general knowledge.
Mangrove was the name of the real-life Caribbean restaurant located at 8, All Saints Road in London’s Notting Hill. Opened in 1968 by the late Trinidadian community activist and...
- 10/8/2020
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Mangrove, the second film from Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series to premiere at the 58th NYFF, covers the incidents precipitating, and including, the trial of the Mangrove Nine, a group of British Black activists unduly tried for inciting a riot during a demonstration against the Metropolitan Police. The Mangrove, a West Indian restaurant in the Notting Hill area, was a crucial space for the surrounding Black community, and was the meeting place for many prominent intellectuals and Black Panther activists, like Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby), Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright), and Barbara Beese (Rochenda Sandall). The Metropolitan Police sought fit to constantly harass its owner, Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), and repeatedly raid the restaurant under suspicion of gambling, prostitution, and drug use. When a protest against the police turned violent, Crichlow and other community members find themselves on trial defending their right to exist against a colonialist system all...
- 9/25/2020
- by Vikram Murthi
- The Film Stage
The dramatic story of the Mangrove Nine, when a group of Black British activists fought back against racist police raids in a tense series of courtroom showdowns, practically pitched itself as a movie when it unfolded in 1970. It only took 50 years, but writer-director Steve McQueen’s “Mangrove” works overtime to fill the gap, resulting in .
Produced as part of the filmmaker’s ambitious five-film “Small Axe” anthology about Black British Londoners across several decades, “Mangrove” is a taut and thrilling judicial drama that transcends the genre even while acknowledging its barriers. Just as he used the heist genre as a Trojan horse for sociopolitical concerns, McQueen turns the courtroom formula inside out. In following the trial, “Mangrove” delves into the usual assemblage of passionate monologues about equal rights and dedication to the cause. But it’s also grounded in a detailed ecosystem so rich with the sentiments of the moment...
Produced as part of the filmmaker’s ambitious five-film “Small Axe” anthology about Black British Londoners across several decades, “Mangrove” is a taut and thrilling judicial drama that transcends the genre even while acknowledging its barriers. Just as he used the heist genre as a Trojan horse for sociopolitical concerns, McQueen turns the courtroom formula inside out. In following the trial, “Mangrove” delves into the usual assemblage of passionate monologues about equal rights and dedication to the cause. But it’s also grounded in a detailed ecosystem so rich with the sentiments of the moment...
- 9/25/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“Never count out an oppressed population” and “never count out a played-out genre” are just two of the notions that stayed with me after watching “Mangrove,” one of a five-part series of period films by Steve McQueen about London’s West Indian community.
It’s a movie about a real-life injustice followed by a courtroom drama, and if a long history of hacky biopics and feel-good activist cinema made you think this kind of story was beyond telling on film with power or efficacy, McQueen proves that there’s still a way to do it right. The tale of the Mangrove Nine was relevant in the late 1960s and early 1970s when it actually happened, it was relevant when McQueen and Alastair Siddons (“Tomb Raider” 2018) sat down to write about it, and it’s relevant today, tomorrow, and in the future, as unchecked police brutality continues to rain down on communities of color.
It’s a movie about a real-life injustice followed by a courtroom drama, and if a long history of hacky biopics and feel-good activist cinema made you think this kind of story was beyond telling on film with power or efficacy, McQueen proves that there’s still a way to do it right. The tale of the Mangrove Nine was relevant in the late 1960s and early 1970s when it actually happened, it was relevant when McQueen and Alastair Siddons (“Tomb Raider” 2018) sat down to write about it, and it’s relevant today, tomorrow, and in the future, as unchecked police brutality continues to rain down on communities of color.
- 9/25/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
If Lovers Rock provided a sensuous, feel-good vibe to the opening night of this year’s unusual New York Film Festival, Mangrove supplies a follow-up thwack to the head and punch to the gut. When Steve McQueen’s ambitious, five-part Small Axe miniseries is presented on Amazon Prime beginning November 20, Mangrove will be in the lead-off position (with Lovers Rock following the second week) and leave no doubt as to the project’s serious, hard-hitting objectives in painting a panoramic portrait of racial realities for London’s West Indian immigrant population from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.
Long since gentrified, Notting Hill was in steep decline after World War II and in 1958 was the scene of severe race riots. After running a fashionable café in the neighborhood for a decade, islands-born Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) in 1968 opened the cozy titular establishment, specializing in Caribbean cuisine like curries, and crab and dumplings.
Long since gentrified, Notting Hill was in steep decline after World War II and in 1958 was the scene of severe race riots. After running a fashionable café in the neighborhood for a decade, islands-born Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) in 1968 opened the cozy titular establishment, specializing in Caribbean cuisine like curries, and crab and dumplings.
- 9/25/2020
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Ahead of Sunday’s Emmy Awards, Amazon Prime Video has shared the trailer for its upcoming anthology series Small Axe, featuring five films directed and co-written by 12 Years a Slave filmmaker Steve McQueen.
“Small Axe is an anthology comprised of five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s that tell personal stories from London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite rampant racism and discrimination,” Amazon Prime Video said of the series. “This title is derived from the African proverb,...
“Small Axe is an anthology comprised of five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s that tell personal stories from London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite rampant racism and discrimination,” Amazon Prime Video said of the series. “This title is derived from the African proverb,...
- 9/20/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
With Lovers Rock, the first part of Steve McQueen’s forthcoming anthology Small Axe, having premiered at the 58th New York Film Festival, many have wondered how to classify this project. Well, the director gave a definitive answer. “These are five features,” McQueen said in his recent NYFF press conference.”In a perfect world, I would love people to see these films in the cinema, absolutely, but we are living in these times [with] TVs and how people can use this equipment in high quality ways. But there is nothing for me that can beat going to the cinema and viewing with a community of people.”
Now, Amazon Studios has solidified his intention by announcing the release plans for the Small Axe features, and rather than all arriving at once as has become the norm in this new age of streaming, they will rollout weekly beginning this November.
Deadline reports that on November 20, Mangrove,...
Now, Amazon Studios has solidified his intention by announcing the release plans for the Small Axe features, and rather than all arriving at once as has become the norm in this new age of streaming, they will rollout weekly beginning this November.
Deadline reports that on November 20, Mangrove,...
- 9/20/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Amazon Prime Video released the trailer for Mangrove, directed by Steve McQueen, the first film in a planned five-part anthology series from the British filmmaker titled Small Axe.
Mangrove, Lovers Rock, and Red, White, and Blue will premiere during this year’s 58th New York Film Festival. Mangrove is coming to Amazon later this year.
Mangrove commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Mangrove March, where 150 protesters of West Indian, African and South Asian heritage clashed with police in the West London neighborhood of Notting Hill on August 9th, 1970.
The demonstrators...
Mangrove, Lovers Rock, and Red, White, and Blue will premiere during this year’s 58th New York Film Festival. Mangrove is coming to Amazon later this year.
Mangrove commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Mangrove March, where 150 protesters of West Indian, African and South Asian heritage clashed with police in the West London neighborhood of Notting Hill on August 9th, 1970.
The demonstrators...
- 8/7/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Amazon Prime has shared the first trailer for Steve McQueen’s upcoming anthology project “Small Axe,” which consists of films different films all directed by the “Shame” and “12 Years a Slave” Oscar winner. The first look footage below all comes from the installment “Mangrove.” Starring “Black Panther” favorite Letitia Wright, “Mangrove” is an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. “Small Axe” is McQueen’s first television project and “Mangrove” marks the first new McQueen footage to debut following the 2018 release of the director’s “Widows.”
Per an official Amazon synopsis, “Mangrove” tells the “true story of the Mangrove 9, a group of Black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970, and the highly publicized trial that followed. The trial was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.” Starring opposite Wright is a cast that includes Shaun Parkes,...
Per an official Amazon synopsis, “Mangrove” tells the “true story of the Mangrove 9, a group of Black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970, and the highly publicized trial that followed. The trial was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.” Starring opposite Wright is a cast that includes Shaun Parkes,...
- 8/7/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
U.K. broadcaster BBC One has released a punchy trailer for “Mangrove,” one of five films from the “Small Axe” anthology by Oscar and BAFTA winner Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”).
Aug. 9 marks the 50th anniversary of the day in 1970 when 150 protesters of West Indian, African and South Asian heritage in Notting Hill, West London, marched to local police stations in protest of police harassment in their communities, including the Mangrove restaurant. Nine protest leaders were arrested and charged with incitement to riot: Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett. The group later became known as the ‘Mangrove 9.’
“It was a march necessitated by relentless police brutality in Notting Hill,” said McQueen. “To commemorate the bravery of these community activists and the nine who went on to be acquitted of incitement to riot with the judge citing ‘evidence of racial hatred,...
Aug. 9 marks the 50th anniversary of the day in 1970 when 150 protesters of West Indian, African and South Asian heritage in Notting Hill, West London, marched to local police stations in protest of police harassment in their communities, including the Mangrove restaurant. Nine protest leaders were arrested and charged with incitement to riot: Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett. The group later became known as the ‘Mangrove 9.’
“It was a march necessitated by relentless police brutality in Notting Hill,” said McQueen. “To commemorate the bravery of these community activists and the nine who went on to be acquitted of incitement to riot with the judge citing ‘evidence of racial hatred,...
- 8/7/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017
The film director remembers his friend, the actor with ‘a single malt of a voice’, who despite his ups and downs, remained a rare talent and a true professional
• Darcus Howe remembered by Diane Abbott
That voice, distilled from alcohol and Gauloises, a single malt of a voice, caressed the nation for half a century. In The Elephant Man it was only the voice. As Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant the voice swerved into a gay queenery. It expressed pain and suffering as a monster exploded out of his stomach in Alien. His Christ for Mel Brooks persuaded us that Jesus had such a voice. Its emollience spread over hundreds of movies, plays and commercials. On stage, it put audiences into a light hypnosis.
He lent it to me for two short films which were the most enjoyable of my career. He was a fine companion over 45 years.
The film director remembers his friend, the actor with ‘a single malt of a voice’, who despite his ups and downs, remained a rare talent and a true professional
• Darcus Howe remembered by Diane Abbott
That voice, distilled from alcohol and Gauloises, a single malt of a voice, caressed the nation for half a century. In The Elephant Man it was only the voice. As Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant the voice swerved into a gay queenery. It expressed pain and suffering as a monster exploded out of his stomach in Alien. His Christ for Mel Brooks persuaded us that Jesus had such a voice. Its emollience spread over hundreds of movies, plays and commercials. On stage, it put audiences into a light hypnosis.
He lent it to me for two short films which were the most enjoyable of my career. He was a fine companion over 45 years.
- 12/17/2017
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
Louisa Mellor Apr 20, 2017
We chatted to actor Rory Kinnear about his roles in Sky Atlantic's Guerrilla, Bond, Penny Dreadful and more…
In Rory Kinnear’s first answer during our chat about his role in Sky Atlantic drama Guerrilla, he makes a wry joke at his own expense. He’s not a well-known actor, he says, and perhaps not one with “a particularly heroic face!” he laughs when we talk about the moral complexity of his roles. Give him an outright compliment and he deflects the praise elsewhere, onto writers and directors, John Logan for Penny Dreadful, John Ridley for Guerrilla. His role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond franchise is a “very, very small” part of an enormous machine, he stresses.
See related Line Of Duty series 4, and the clues hiding in series 1 Line Of Duty: creator Jed Mercurio interview Explaining the Line Of Duty series 2 finale...
We chatted to actor Rory Kinnear about his roles in Sky Atlantic's Guerrilla, Bond, Penny Dreadful and more…
In Rory Kinnear’s first answer during our chat about his role in Sky Atlantic drama Guerrilla, he makes a wry joke at his own expense. He’s not a well-known actor, he says, and perhaps not one with “a particularly heroic face!” he laughs when we talk about the moral complexity of his roles. Give him an outright compliment and he deflects the praise elsewhere, onto writers and directors, John Logan for Penny Dreadful, John Ridley for Guerrilla. His role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond franchise is a “very, very small” part of an enormous machine, he stresses.
See related Line Of Duty series 4, and the clues hiding in series 1 Line Of Duty: creator Jed Mercurio interview Explaining the Line Of Duty series 2 finale...
- 4/12/2017
- Den of Geek
Activist and author of a book about Phoolan Devi, the Indian bandit turned MP
Mala Sen, who has died of oesophageal cancer aged 63, was best known for her 1991 book India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi, which formed the basis for the critically acclaimed though controversial feature film Bandit Queen (1994), directed by Shekhar Kapur. Behind the personal story of Devi, which took Mala years to coax out of her subject, she explored the wider issue of the victimisation of women, especially in rural India, where they are often conditioned to believe that they are worthless. She continued this theme in a second pathbreaking book, Death by Fire: Sati, Dowry Death and Female Infanticide in Modern India (2001).
She came to writing through social activism, having taken up numerous causes in London in the 1960s, at a time when women's groups were emerging and there was a combined movement of black activist organisations.
Mala Sen, who has died of oesophageal cancer aged 63, was best known for her 1991 book India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi, which formed the basis for the critically acclaimed though controversial feature film Bandit Queen (1994), directed by Shekhar Kapur. Behind the personal story of Devi, which took Mala years to coax out of her subject, she explored the wider issue of the victimisation of women, especially in rural India, where they are often conditioned to believe that they are worthless. She continued this theme in a second pathbreaking book, Death by Fire: Sati, Dowry Death and Female Infanticide in Modern India (2001).
She came to writing through social activism, having taken up numerous causes in London in the 1960s, at a time when women's groups were emerging and there was a combined movement of black activist organisations.
- 6/13/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
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