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Production Notes PRODUCTION NOTES A Note from the Director The seed of Small Axe was sown 11 years ago, soon after my first film, Hunger. Initially, I had conceived of it as a TV series, but as it developed, I realized these stories had to stand alone as original films yet at the same time be part of a collective. After all, Small Axe refers to an African proverb that means together we are strong. The anthology, anchored in the West Indian experience in London, is a celebration of all that that community has succeeded in achieving against the odds. To me, it is a love letter to Black resilience, triumph, hope, music, joy and love as well as to friendship and family. Oh, and let’s not forget about food too! I recall each of these stories being told to me either by my parents, my aunt, and by experiencing racial discrimination myself growing up in the 70s and 80s. These are all our stories. I feel personally touched by each and every one of them. My five senses were awoken writing with Courttia Newland and Alastair Siddons. Images, smells, textures and old customs came flooding back. All five films take place between the late 60s and mid 80s. They are just as much a comment on the present moment as they were then. Although they are about the past, they are very much concerned with the present. A commentary on where we were, where we are and where we want to go. When the Cannes Film Festival selected Mangrove and Lovers Rock earlier this year, I dedicated both to George Floyd and all the other Black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are in the US, UK and elsewhere. As the proverb goes, “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe." Black Lives Matter. Steve McQueen PRODUCTION INFORMATION Mangrove is part of the Small Axe anthology series, which comprises five original films by Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame, 12 Years A Slave, Widows). Set from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, the films each tell a different story involving London's West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will, despite rampant racism and discrimination. Even though this collection of films is set some decades ago, the stories are as vital and timely today as they were for the West Indian community in London at the time. Small Axe is a celebration of Black joy, beauty, love, friendship, family, music and even food; each one, in its own unique way, conveys hard- won successes, bringing hope and optimism for 2020. Mangrove tells the true story of Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), whose West Indian restaurant, Mangrove, a lively community hub in London’s Notting Hill attracted locals, activists, intellectuals and artists. In a reign of blatant racial discrimination, Crichlow finds himself and his drug-free business the brunt of relentless police raids. In a bid to stop the discrimination and ruination of their community base, Frank and his friends take to the streets in peaceful protest in 1970, only to be met by police aggression. As a result, nine men and women, including Frank, leader of the British Black Panther Movement Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright), and activist Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby), are wrongly arrested and charged with incitement to riot and affray. A highly publicized trial ensues, leading to a hard-fought win. Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Malachi Kirby (Roots) and Shaun Parkes (Lost in Space) star alongside Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Jack Lowden (The Long Song), Sam Spruell (Snow White and the Huntsmen), Gershwyn Eustache (I May Destroy You), Nathaniel Martello-White (Collateral), Richie Campbell (Liar), Jumayn Hunter (Les Miserables), and Gary Beadle (Summer of Rockets). Steve McQueen for his Lammas Park and Tracey Scoffield and David Tanner of Turbine Studios executive produce for BBC One with Amazon Studios co-producing in the US. The production team includes director of photography Shabier Kirchner (Bull, Skate Kitchen), production designer Helen Scott (A Very English Scandal, Fish Tank), costume designer Lisa Duncan (Been So Long, The Dark Mile), hair and makeup designer Jojo Williams (Yardie, Broadchurch) and co- editors, Academy Award winning editor Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire, Les Miserables) and Steve McQueen. Mangrove was co-written by Alastair Siddons (Tomb Raider, Trespass Against US) and Steve McQueen. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION The telling of a story such as Mangrove – a significant juncture in British race relations history that marked a tremendously successful win at the Old Bailey (the highest court in the land) that has been forgotten by many – carries a great responsibility. McQueen explains, “This is a story that I grew up knowing through my parents, my dad was friends with one of the Mangrove Nine. It was crucial to me that my co-writer Alastair Siddons and I put all our effort into research and to retelling this story with as much accuracy and care as possible.” Co-writer Alastair Siddons adds, “Led by Helen Bart’s brilliant primary research, countless trips to London libraries, the George Padmore Institute and BBC Archives, Steve’s urgency in telling these stories was starkly highlighted by the recent passing of two of the Mangrove Nine, Darcus Howe, Rothwell Kentish as well as lawyer Ian MacDonald, who represented the Nine.” McQueen says “Alastair is very particular. He is an innate researcher and likes to get very involved in the minutiae. We worked together in tandem, digging and refining as we went along on this journey. The executive producer, Tracey Scoffield, was vital in this process.” So, let’s begin with some background. Frank Crichlow opened the Mangrove in 1968 in Notting Hill’s All Saints Road, only the Notting Hill of 1968 was a very different one from the one portrayed in movies of recent years. Since WWII, the area was largely degenerated with many slum landlords. Many immigrants including those who arrived from the West Indian islands from 1948-1971, known as the “Windrush generation,” sought cheap rent and community in the area. The Mangrove quickly became a sanctuary to the islanders. Frank himself was Trinidadian-born and simply wanted to run a good business. The cozy restaurant was dimly lit and served delicious West Indian fare such as stewed chicken with rice and peas to an eclectic mix of fellow migrants, intellectuals, activists and artists (Nina Simone, Vanessa Redgrave, Diana Ross and Jimi Hendrix are known to have frequented the café, as well as Bob Marley who played football nearby and would come to the Mangrove afterwards to eat). The restaurant was much more than a late-night haunt for artists, it provided a home base for the Black community to support each other. It’s where people came for advice about housing and job applications, it was their anchor until the local Kensington and Chelsea Council removed Frank’s license starting at 11pm, when much of his trade happened after midnight. Frank made a formal complaint of unlawful discrimination as the Council cited criminal patrons and activity such as prostitution as reasons for revoking the license, but the police continued to turn up and raid the premises looking for drugs and causing havoc. The harassment became untenable. Frank was losing business, and the locals were losing the heart and soul of their community. Frank Crichlow’s (Shaun Parkes) first resistance in this powerful story was resisting his leading role as a community activist. After all, he just wanted to run a great restaurant. Eventually, the Mangrove became a makeshift hub of community activism spread across three floors. Frank and his friends planned to protest on August 9th, 1970, but first they wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Edward Heath to explain how they were forced to protest “as all other methods have failed to bring about any change in the manner the police have chosen to deal with Black people.” Executive producer Tracey Scoffield explains that, “One hundred and fifty marchers turned up and 300 policemen, which gives you some idea of what the police thought of the whole thing.” There are reports that over 500 police attended the march as well as undercover policemen. While varying accounts exist of how the initial altercation with police initiated, we know that bedlam ensued, and that numerous protestors and police were injured. In the aftermath, the police charged Frank and eight others, Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright, Black Panther), Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby, Roots, Black Mirror), Barbara Beese (Rochenda Sandall), Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett. They became known as the Mangrove Nine. One of the most surprising facts about the trial was the court in which the nine were tried, the Old Bailey, a high court reserved for treason and high-profile murder cases. Three of the nine defendants, including Altheia Jones-LeCointe and Darcus Howe represented themselves so they could speak directly to the jury. But even then, the defendants used their right to question and dismiss potential jurors. They asked questions such what the potential jurors understood by the term “black power.” Sixty-three were rejected. The final selection included two Black people. Lawyer, Ian MacDonald, was a formidable and profoundly inspirational figure in the establishment of anti-discrimination and anti-racist laws in the UK. It was his commitment to equality and race relations that led to his successful defense of the Mangrove Nine, some of whom attended his 80th birthday in 2019 and spoke of his eagerness to present their account of mistreatment and injustice.
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