Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Two episodes of the series were selected into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised by Bob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".
Films Episode Title Director Screenwriters UK release date US release date Runtime 1 Mangrove Steve McQueen McQueen and Alastair Siddons 15 November 2020 20 November 2020 128 min. 2 Lovers Rock McQueen and Courttia Newland 22 November 2020 27 November 2020 68 min. 3 Red, White, and Blue 29 November 2020 4 December 2020 80 min. 4 Alex Wheatle McQueen and Alastair Siddons 6 December 2020 11 December 2020 66 min. 5 Education 13 December 2020 18 December 2020 63 min.
Production Development It has been reported that Steve McQueen began working on the idea for Small Axe in 2010, and that some form of the series was in development since 2012. While the series was initially conceived as a conventional television series with a serialized story, McQueen realized during development that he had sufficient material to make several distinct films. In January 2014, it was announced that he would write and direct an untitled television series for either BBC One or BBC Two about the experience of black people in Britain. In August 2015, it was announced that the series would air on BBC One. In June 2019, Amazon Prime Video was announced to be distributing the series in the United States, with Amazon Studios co-producing. The screenwriters include the British-Caribbean novelist Courttia Newland (author of The Gospel According to Cane, 2013) and Alastair Siddons.
Casting In June 2019, it was announced that Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, and Jack Lowden had joined the cast of the series. In January 2020, Micheal Ward joined the cast of the series.
Music
Release Lovers Rock had its world premiere as the opener of the 58th New York Film Festival on 17 September 2020. Mangrove had its world premiere at the festival on 25 September, and Red, White, and Blue on 3 October. Mangrove also opened the 64th BFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2020; Lovers Rock screened at the same festival on 18 October.
The series premiered in the UK on BBC One on 15 November 2020 and in the United States on Amazon Prime Video on 20 November 2020, with one episode released per week on both platforms.
The series received a Blu-ray release by The Criterion Collection on 25 April 2023. The release includes the five films, plus interviews and conversations with director Steve McQueen and various cast and crew members, the 2021 documentary Uprising (co-directed by McQueen and James Rogan), trailers, and an essay by Ashley Clark.
Reception Critical response Critical press reviews of each individual film were positive. All five films received approval ratings of at least 95% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, while Metacritic assigned four of the five a score indicating "universal acclaim".
Lovers Rock, in particular, was named the best film of 2020 by the British film magazine Sight & Sound in its poll of 104 critics worldwide; Mangrove came in at 13th.
Film Rotten Tomatoes rating Metacritic rating Mangrove 99% approval (8.79/10 average) 90 (27 critics). Retrieved 20 December 2020. Lovers Rock 98% approval (8.82/10 average) 95 (27 critics). Retrieved 20 December 2020. Red, White and Blue 97% approval (8.31/10 average) 84 (18 critics). Retrieved 20 December 2020. Alex Wheatle 97% approval (7.35/10 average) 77 (17 critics). Retrieved 20 December 2020. Education 95% approval (7.94/10 average) 87 (15 critics)
Accolades Award Category Nominee(s) Result Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Cinematography Shabier Kirchner (for "Lovers Rock") Broadcasting Press Guild Best Drama Series Small Axe Best Actress Letitia Wright Best Actor Shaun Parkes Best Writer Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Alastair Siddons Breakthrough Award Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn British Academy Television Awards Best Mini-Series Steve McQueen, Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Michael Elliott, Anita Overland Best Actor John Boyega (for "Red, White and Blue") Shaun Parkes (for "Mangrove") Best Actress Letitia Wright (for "Mangrove") Best Supporting Actor Malachi Kirby (for "Mangrove") Micheal Ward (for "Lovers Rock") British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Costume Design Jacqueline Durran Best Director: Fiction Steve McQueen Best Editing: Fiction Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen Best Make Up and Hair Design Jojo Williams Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction Shabier Kirchner Best Production Design Helen Scott Best Scripted Casting Gary Davy Best Sound: Fiction Paul Cotterell, James Harrison, Ronald Bailey Best Writer: Drama Alastair Siddons and Steve McQueen British Society of Cinematographers Awards Best Cinematography in a Television Drama Shabier Kirchner Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Lovers Rock Best Director Steve McQueen (for "Lovers Rock") Best Supporting Actress Letitia Wright (for "Mangrove") Best Cinematography Shabier Kirchner (for "Lovers Rock") Best Editing Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen (for "Lovers Rock") Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television John Boyega (for "Red, White and Blue") Golden Globe Awards Best Limited Series or Television Film Small Axe Best Supporting Actor – Television John Boyega Gotham Awards Breakthrough Series – Long Format Small Axe Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Streaming Limited Series, Anthology Series or Live-Action Television Movie Small Axe Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie John Boyega Independent Spirit Awards Best New Scripted Series Small Axe London Film Critics Circle Awards Film of the Year Lovers Rock Director of the Year Small Axe Supporting Actor of the Year Shaun Parkes Attenborough Award for British/Irish Film of the Year Lovers Rock Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Picture Small Axe Best Director Steve McQueen Best Cinematography Shabier Kirchner Best Music Mica Levi (for "Lovers Rock") NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Steve McQueen (for "Mangrove") New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Shabier Kirchner (for "Mangrove") RTS Programme Awards Mini-Series Small Axe Actor - Male Shaun Parkes Writer - Drama Steve McQueen and Alistair Siddeon RTS Craft & Design Awards Director - Drama Steve McQueen Satellite Awards Best Miniseries & Limited Series Small Axe Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film John Boyega Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film Letitia Wright Peabody Awards Entertainment Small Axe
References
External links "These are the untold stories that make up our nation": Steve McQueen on Small Axe, David Olusoga's interview with Steve McQueen about Small Axe, in Sight & Sound, 13 November 2020.
at Amazon Prime Video