Steve McQueen on George Floyd, Racist Inequality in the UK and His New Series, 'Small Axe'

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  • čas přidán 10. 11. 2020
  • Is Sir Steve McQueen Britain's greatest living film director? His Bafta, Oscar and Turner Prize make a very compelling case. Over a 30-year career, he's conquered the worlds of art and commerce, making films that are as challenging as they are popular, and working in every imaginable medium.
    Born in London in 1969, McQueen broke through in the British arts world in the early Nineties. His short art films Bear (1993) and Deadpan (1997), which won him the Turner Prize in 1999, were followed by mainstream cinema success with the films Hunger (2008), Shame (2011), the Oscar Best Picture-winning 12 Years A Slave (2013), and Widows (2018).
    Now he releases Small Axe, an anthology series of five feature-length films for the BBC which focus on moments of revolt by Black Britons against discriminatory systems. They cover the late Sixties through to the early Eighties, which to McQueen were "a golden age of resistance".
    McQueen joined us at this year's Esquire Townhouse @ Your House in partnership with Breitling, in discussion with Esquire Editor-in-Chief Alex Bilmes, to talk about the project and much more.
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Komentáře • 67

  • @robsawyer656
    @robsawyer656 Před 3 lety +29

    Steve is so genuine, so straight up, and so passionate in his answers. Brilliantly refreshing to watch this. Respect.

    • @robsawyer656
      @robsawyer656 Před 3 lety +4

      At the same time, the interviewer made me cringe at his level of ignorance.
      Interviewer: "I do see more representation of black people"
      Steve: "Name three others"
      Interviewer: (awkward embarrassed look) Good point.
      Interviewer: "You're a Sir now, do you use that? Do you call yourself that?"
      Seriously, would the interviewer have asked Sir Elton John the same question? Shameful and quite frankly embarrassing.

  • @inspectorgadget247
    @inspectorgadget247 Před 3 lety +22

    Genius films take genius writers, directors, producers, set designers, costumers and brilliant acting! Small Axe anthropology embodies all of that. Especially not being from the UK, to see that it’s citizens of color experienced similar shenanigans of racism and oppression was eye-opening!

  • @pb.j.1753
    @pb.j.1753 Před 3 lety +17

    Choose another interviewer next time please. He can't even remember the title of the Michaela Coel series that he is mentioning, let alone 3 others like McQueen asked him.

  • @legra75
    @legra75 Před 3 lety +4

    Interviewers always ask, “Why now?”. It's like if not now, when? These stories should have been told many times over. The fact that we're just now shining a light on stories such as these is proof enough that representation in storytelling is extremely important. Thank God for Steve and others like him. 🙌🏾

  • @Andrewclovis
    @Andrewclovis Před 3 lety +25

    Dear Steve. Thank you soo much for the Small Axe films. Have thoroughly enjoyed all of them!

  • @carllee2218
    @carllee2218 Před 3 lety +7

    Real talk I'd love to work with a great uk black icon like Steve

  • @ButterflyLullabyLtd
    @ButterflyLullabyLtd Před 5 měsíci

    I could listen to Steve McQueen all day. I admire people that celebrate true storytelling. What an amazing film maker. Bravo for what he has achieved because of his hard work, determination and talent.
    Keep making films that get people talking Steve. ♥️♥️♥️

  • @msp6469
    @msp6469 Před 3 lety +6

    Always wondered why I love family parties so much. I’m in my 30s now and even though I wasn’t part of the stories my family were and it really hit home how much I know about them when they were growing up. I even got triggered and cried a lot as I understood the racism as it’s passed from my family’s generation to mine.

  • @allisonclarke1017
    @allisonclarke1017 Před 3 lety +5

    I I love the part where you said" that we don't have this....".

  • @michaelpresberg3817
    @michaelpresberg3817 Před 2 lety +2

    This guy is a great artist. I find his films more moving than those of the better known filmmakers of his generation (Wes Anderson, Aronofsky, Nolan, PT Anderson). 12 Years a Slave, in particular, is a masterpiece that just bowls you over with its power. I've only seen Mangrove and Lovers Rock from this series but these too are just so enthralling on every level.

  • @ButterflyLullabyLtd
    @ButterflyLullabyLtd Před 5 měsíci

    Bravo to this film maker. He is a hero! True stories deserve to be heard. Like Steve said "Too many true stories get swept under that carpet!"

  • @giftorreid8876
    @giftorreid8876 Před 3 lety +10

    Steve....from one blackman to another....please make a film about Stephen Lawrence either a short film or a fully blown movie...

  • @rebeccanelson4086
    @rebeccanelson4086 Před 3 lety +7

    For an Editor in Chief of a magazine you would expect far better, less 'othering' questions. Embarrassing for Esquire. Steve McQueen obviously handles it brilliantly.

  • @v.a.993
    @v.a.993 Před 3 lety +1

    I don't see the interviewer as bad as the rest of you. He's asking legitimate questions and he is keeping up with the conversation. I love this interview. Steve McQueen is fascinating. I saw Lovers Rock during a plane ride and I was transfixed. It was an immersive experience for me at 30,000 feet in the air flying over boring states like Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

  • @dette3000
    @dette3000 Před 3 lety +7

    You as done so much for the culture in ways that cannot be explained. Thank you so much and as a carribean person I approve the series. 🙂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  • @DoctorFurioso
    @DoctorFurioso Před 2 lety +3

    Maybe this is a weird thing to say, but props to the interviewer for admitting his own ignorance re: the BLM protests (re: telling SM how uplifting/inspiring they were from a white POV) and showing a willingness to listen and learn.

  • @alingard1
    @alingard1 Před 3 lety +1

    In St Pauls in Bristol there is only one Jamaican pub/club/bar left now. Its very sad for those of us that lvoed these places this amazing section of the community has almost vanished....

  • @raymondreitano6927
    @raymondreitano6927 Před 2 lety +1

    This dude's mind is a mile a second. _Love_ his work, ever since Hunger!

  • @rackellewilkinson-alston
    @rackellewilkinson-alston Před 3 lety +12

    This interview is EVERYTGHING!

  • @lesley9023
    @lesley9023 Před 3 lety +25

    The interviewer is clueless.

    • @guyafrica7894
      @guyafrica7894 Před 3 lety +1

      They always are. White interviewers are so clueless in their questioning. Companies should get black interviewers for stuff like this.

  • @keithjeffries7349
    @keithjeffries7349 Před rokem

    Excellent interview. Steve has integrity alongside his professionalism.

  • @guyafrica7894
    @guyafrica7894 Před 3 lety +1

    Small Axe is an incredible creation. It was unexpectedly BEAUTIFUL, JOYOUS & INSPIRATIONAL.

  • @radhiaAndromida
    @radhiaAndromida Před 3 lety +2

    Brilliant to was Steve was amazing as per

  • @sweetjimmyt
    @sweetjimmyt Před 3 lety +5

    I'm sorry you have to deal with this shit, Steve.

  • @Alex-sh2nd
    @Alex-sh2nd Před 3 lety +1

    I could listen to Steve talk for hours. Such an articulate and intelligent speaker. I hope he makes another feature film soon.

  • @knightyknight5399
    @knightyknight5399 Před 3 lety +1

    The interviewer seems a bit nervous

  • @assembled1855
    @assembled1855 Před 3 lety

    He needs to direct some action movies in the near future

  • @cher385
    @cher385 Před 2 lety

    Sir Steven, have you read the book by Dr. Eric Williams, From Capitalism to Slavery? Written and banned in the UK, 84 years ago? only now republished there in 2022?

  • @allisonclarke1017
    @allisonclarke1017 Před 3 lety

    Ha. had a union who whom eg . Eg qp 4400 units d. Now mop and bucket was to good for me.

  • @leplanq4102
    @leplanq4102 Před 3 lety +2

    J'ai fait une vidéo sur "Small Axe" sur ma chaîne, n'hésitez pas à me dire ce que vous en pensez ✌️

  • @9t9girl
    @9t9girl Před 3 lety +5

    Steve is great but this interviewer is terrible.

  • @CrissCHG
    @CrissCHG Před 3 lety

    Live like a criminal fue like a criminal sad but true

  • @danielspillett5393
    @danielspillett5393 Před 2 lety +1

    There was only one Steve McQueen and that's not him is he trying to use name recognition

  • @MikelGCinema
    @MikelGCinema Před 3 lety +1

    Sir? Lmao

  • @danielclemence3689
    @danielclemence3689 Před 4 měsíci

    Playing the race card. Lost my respect.

  • @karlosthejackel69
    @karlosthejackel69 Před 3 lety +5

    Really terrible and scary... just not bad enough to leave. Typical victim

  • @ocvegasproperty
    @ocvegasproperty Před 3 lety +3

    Victim hood mentality never gets you anywhere unless you are this guy and you make millions pedaling it...

  • @Sabhail_ar_Alba
    @Sabhail_ar_Alba Před 3 lety +1

    Is Sir Steve McQueen Britain's greatest living film director? No, one needs make good films first.

    • @tonywords6713
      @tonywords6713 Před 3 lety +2

      hes made three that are modern masterpieces lmao fuck you mean

    • @alyciacooper2
      @alyciacooper2 Před 2 lety +1

      @@tonywords6713 Russian bot. Ignore it.