"What They Were Fighting For, We're Still Fighting For Today": Letitia Wright and Steve McQueen on Bringing 'Small Axe' to the Screen

'Director Steve McQueen is best known for his Best Picture-winning film, 12 Years a Slave, and his 2018 crime drama, Widows. But for his latest project, the British filmmaker decided to return home to direct not just one but five movies that make up the anthology series, Small Axe. Together, the films tell mostly true stories of Black British life from the 1960s to the 1980s. The first part in the series, “Mangrove,”  focuses on an undertold part of British history from the late 60s. McQueen’s film centers around the trial of a group called the Mangrove Nine, who were arrested for protesting how law enforcement officials were targeting a West London Caribbean restaurant called the Mangrove. All nine were ultimately acquitted of the most serious charges, and the trial included one of the first judicial acknowledgments of racism within the British police force. To learn more about the story and why McQueen chose to bring it to the screen, The Takeaway spoke with the director alongside actress Letitia Wright, one of the stars of “Mangrove”.' -- The Takeaway