Seeking out the
5000 greatest films
in a century of cinema
Alex Wheatle
Small Axe: Alex Wheatle
Directed by
Steve McQueen
Produced by Anita Overland and Michael Elliott
Screenplay by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons
Produced by Anita Overland and Michael Elliott
Screenplay by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons
With:
Sheyi Cole, Robbie Gee, Johann Myers, Jonathan Jules, Elliot Edusah, Khali Best, Fumilayo Brown-Olateju, Dexter Flanders, and Asad-Shareef Muhammad
Cinematography:
Shabier Kirchner
Editing: Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen
Music: Mica Levi
Editing: Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen
Music: Mica Levi
Runtime:
66 min
Release Date: 06 December 2020
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Color: Color
Release Date: 06 December 2020
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Color: Color
Small Axe is an anthology film series created, co-written, and directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Widows, Shame). Each film tells a story about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London during the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Some are based on actual people and events, others are historical fiction.
Twitter Capsule:
In Alex Wheatle, McQueen turns the biopic formula into a character study about the search for identity with this dramatic sketch of a Jamaican-British DJ and novelist imprisoned after the 1981 Brixton uprising, recalling events in his youth.