‘Deeper story’ of George Floyd’s death to be explored in BBC documentary
The 90-minute film will feature interviews with Mr Floyd’s family, and celebrities.
An upcoming BBC documentary will expose the “deeper story” behind George Floyd’s death which was caused by a police officer kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes.
Backlash: The Murder Of George Floyd comes from the production company Rogan Productions, which has made the documentaries Uprising, Black Power, Defiance: Fighting The Far Right.
The death of Mr Floyd, a black man, five years ago in Minneapolis sparked a wave of worldwide protests against police violence and racism.
Derek Chauvin, a police officer who is white, was convicted of murder after Mr Floyd was arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit note.
The 90-minute film will feature interviews with Mr Floyd’s family, Medaria Arradondo, the Minneapolis police chief at the time who gave evidence against his own officers, as well as musician Che Lingo, Game Of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel, mother and daughter broadcasters Andi and Miquita Oliver and comedian Munya Chawawa.
Other contributors include former prime minister Boris Johnson’s ex-adviser on race Samuel Kasumu, and Sal Naseem, former regional director for London at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Kwabena Oppong, director at Rogan Productions, said: “The shockwaves of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 became a catalyst for change worldwide, or so it seemed.
“Over the past five years, we’ve seen progress and growth, but also a growing backlash.
“Behind everything we consume on TV, in the news, and on social media, there’s a deeper story.
“Through compelling archive footage, user-generated content, and powerful personal testimonies, we aim to bring these stories to the forefront and truly understand what happened in the summer of 2020 and whether lasting change is possible.”
It will focus on the story of Mr Floyd’s murder, the UK and global reaction, backlash, and whether anything will change amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter campaigners.
During the UK Demonstrations, a bronze statue of the 17th-century slave merchant Edward Colston was toppled, before being dumped in Bristol Harbour, and graffiti was scrawled on the Sir Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square.
The production company said it also comes amid “diversity initiatives” in the US “being scrapped by President (Donald) Trump’s decree”, and the US president’s adviser Elon Musk retweeting a “call for the police officer who murdered George Floyd to be pardoned”.
Matt Hird, distributor at Dartmouth Films, said: “The murder of George Floyd created waves throughout the world, we saw first hand how it encouraged the Black Lives Matter movement here in London.
“Backlash: The Murder Of George Floyd will be released around the five-year anniversary of George Floyd, a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we’ve got to go for sustainable change to be achieved worldwide.”
Clare Sillery, head of BBC documentaries commissioning, said the documentary “has powerful personal testimony at its heart as it examines the seismic events following the murder of George Floyd and what we can learn from it five years on”.
Backlash: The Murder Of George Floyd will hit cinemas on May 9, ahead of the same month seeing a release on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
