Steve McQueen’s Mangrove — a film about rampant police brutality in London during the 1970s — will headline the BFI London Film Festival this fall.

Mangrove will open the twelve-day hybrid festival which plans to hold in-person events in October despite the coronavirus pandemic. The film follows the historic Mangrove 9 as they were tried for inciting a riot for protesting against police brutality in London during the 70s.

“I couldn’t be happier that Mangrove will open this year’s BFI London Film Festival,” McQueen said. Although the themes are universal, Mangrove is a London story. It may have happened fifty years ago, but it’s as relevant today as it was then.”

McQueen’s film is among a number of projects included in the director’s Small Axe anthology series. All of the films in the series — which include Lover’s Rock and Red, White and Blue — explore past and current experiences for Black people living in Britain. The full series will debut later this year on BBC One and Amazon Prime Video.

“This new series from Oscar-winning director and BFI Fellow Steve McQueen could not be more timely in the context of recent global protests around anti-Black racism and inequality, and McQueen has been a powerful voice in challenging the status quo and demanding inclusion within the British film industry,” Tricia Tuttle, BFI director, said. 

The 58th annual New York Film Festival premiered Lover’s Rock in their opening night program earlier this month. Included in McQueen’s anthology series, Lover’s Rock tells the story of young love and blues music during Britain’s tumultuous 1980s.

Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, and Malachi Kirby are among the top-billed celebrities in the Small Axe series. Other stars included in the anthology series include John Boyega, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings and Jack Lowden.