‘Small Axe’ Breakout Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn on Her Own Family Links to Steve McQueen’s Party Film ‘Lovers Rock’

One of 2020’s few joys has been Steve McQueen’s Amazon anthology “Small Axe,” a series telling, in some instances for the first time, the stories of the Black Brits who faced oppression during the ’60s and ’70s. While “Mangrove” touted empowerment through self-representation, “Lovers Rock” through music, and “Red, White and Blue” through reform from within, “Alex Wheatle” calls for literature as a gateway to freedom.

This late fall has been a treat because we’ve received a new Steve McQueen (“12 Years A Slave,” “Widows“) week every week for the last three weeks; when does that happen? And they are all part of McQueen’s new five-film anthology series, “Small Axe,” based on the Jamaican proverb, “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.” Three films have debuted at the New York Film Festival earlier this fall, and those three have now aired on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch Video: 'Small Axe' Trailer: John Boyega, Letitia Wright Tackle London Racism in Anthology SeriesWhen Alex arrives in Brixton, he’s a fish out of water in the neighborhood; neighbor Dennis (Jonathan Jules, “Fighting With My Family”) takes it upon himself to fix Alex’s wardrobe, hair and inability to speak the Jamaican dialect. “I’m not African,” Alex tells the barber who has referred to him as such.

With the arrival of Alex Wheatle, the fourth of five installments that make up Small Axe, Steve McQueen’s adamant and penetrating series of roughly hourlong dramas centering on the Black immigrant community experience in post-World War II Britain, the emerging core concern is the hypocrisy involved in the nation laying out the welcome mat to newcomers in the first place while denying opportunity once they’ve arrived.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been enveloped by enormous support following the news of their miscarriage, but it is their loved ones who have been quietly supporting them behind the scenes since it happened.

Here’s how the royal family reacted to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s miscarriage. The Duchess of Sussex revealed in an essay for The New York Times on Tuesday, November 24, that she and her husband lost a baby in July.

It is a film or is it TV? That’s the micro-debate happening on Film Twitter right now over Steve McQueen‘s new project “Small Axe.” Often, these arguments are so byzantine, they’re not worth spending a breath on and we peace out on the whole topic and let others fight over it. But Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” seems simple: Yes, it’s premiering on Amazon Prime and yes, it’s vying for Emmy consideration in the end, not the Oscars.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor“Mangrove,” now streaming on Amazon Prime, is the first in the five-part anthology, “Small Axe” by director Steve McQueen. Spanning two decades, the films are standalones tracing the West Indian experience with reggae music and costume tying all five films together.Costume designer Jacqueline Durran oversaw all five films, while individual designers worked on each installment.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticIf last week was a big one for Netflix (what with “Mank” and “Hillbilly Elegy” out in theaters), then this one belongs to Amazon, who have a pair of big projects launching via their Prime Video subscription service.

Ellise Shafer editorVariety is pleased to announce that Mary J. Blige and Marcus Mumford will be keynote speakers at its Music for Screens Week, airing Nov.

Dave McNary Film ReporterBron Media Corp.

Also Read: 'The Trial of the Chicago 7': The Stolen Shot From 'Close Encounters' and 4 Facts About the Making of Aaron Sorkin's FilmMcQueen, whose latest project “Small Axe” debuts on Prime Video on Nov.

Dave McNary Film ReporterAaron Sorkin, Steve McQueen, Sofia Coppola, Ramy Youssef and Radha Blank will be honored at the 16th annual Final Draft Awards, to be presented in a virtual ceremony on March 2, 2021.Sorkin will receive the Final Draft zeitgeist award, honoring a writer whose work speaks powerfully to the culture and what’s going on in the world right now. His film “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is currently streaming on Netflix.

Alexandra Del Rosario Associate Editor/Nights & WeekendsFinal Draft, a Cast & Crew Company, will honor Aaron Sorkin, Steve McQueen, Ramy Youssef and more at its 16th annual Final Draft Awards.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorIn “Small Axe,” Steve McQueen’s new Amazon anthology series about the Black experience in the U.K., John Boyega stars in the third installment — “Red, White and Blue” — as Leroy Logan, a real-life police officer in 1980s London.“He’s a scientist, a father, a community man and a husband who decides to join the police force in order to motivate change,” Boyega, 28, says on this week’s episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big