Generation Revolution

Last updated

Generation Revolution
Directed by
  • Cassie Quarless
  • Usayd Younis
Produced by
  • Cassie Quarless
  • Usayd Younis
Edited by
  • Nse Asuquo
  • Richard Guard
Music byWayne Roberts
Production
company
black & brown Films
Distributed byblack & brown Films
Release date
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Generation Revolution is a 2016 British documentary film directed by Cassie Quarless and Usayd Younis. It follows the stories of Black and Asian activists in London who aim to change the social and political landscape in the capital. The film preceded the inception of the UK's Black Lives Matter movement. [1]

Contents

The film premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest on 14 June 2016. It released on Netflix UK & Ireland on 1 October 2020.

Synopsis

Starting in 2014 and ending in 2016. [2] Generation Revolution chronicles the rise of two black activist groups, the London Black Revolutionaries and R Movement, and their growing reputation for daring stunts. From ‘die-ins’ to ‘Black Brunches’ they organise civil resistance around issues as diverse as police brutality, gentrification and the migrant crisis.

The acclaim and notoriety they get is short-lived, however. The leader of the London Black Revolutionaries threatens to bring the group down just as they are getting established and through their misplaced energies R Movement risk losing their most passionate members.

The film ends at a widely reported protest at Heathrow airport. This coordinated day of action saw roads shut down in Birmingham, Nottingham and Heathrow. [3]

Production

Production began in 2014, shooting with the activist group the London Black Revolutionaries. Whilst filming at the 'We Can't Breathe' [4] protest at the Westfield shopping centre in West London, one of the directors was arrested [5] along with 72 other protestors. The directors were also chased by police during the making of the film, with the pursuit leading to one of the production's lenses being smashed. [6]

The two directors stated that they were inspired to make the film as a way of counteracting the often negative portrayal that young people of colour were getting in the media and amongst the general public. [7] [8]

Release

The film world premiered at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2016 and had its London premiere at the East End Film Festival. It went on to tour the UK with Picturehouse Cinemas and was taken around the United States, Brazil and Argentina in 2017. Notable screenings include The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Tate Modern and Arnolfini as well as universities such as Berkely, Missouri School of Journalism and Georgetown.

The film received generally favourable reviews in the press with Charlie Phillips of The Guardian describing the film as "important contemporary document" while [9] Peter Bradshaw, also of The Guardian, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars calling the work engaging. [10]

Related Research Articles

John La Rose was a political and cultural activist, poet, writer, publisher, founder in 1966 of New Beacon Books, the first specialist Caribbean publishing company in Britain, and subsequently Chairman of the George Padmore Institute. He was originally from Trinidad and Tobago but was involved in the struggle for political independence and cultural and social change in the Caribbean in the 1940s and 1950s and later in Britain, the rest of Europe and the Third World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental direct action in the United Kingdom</span>

The modern environmental direct action movement in the United Kingdom started in 1991 with the formation of the first UK "Earth First!" group for a protest at Dungeness nuclear power station. Within two years, there were fifty Earth First groups and activists linked with other parties in the road protest movement. There were large camps at Twyford Down and the M11 link road protest. By 1997, the Government had decided to reduce its road-building plans by two thirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterculture of the 1960s</span> Anti-establishment cultural phenomenon

The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is often synonymous with cultural liberalism and with the various social changes of the decade. The effects of the movement have been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights movement in the United States had made significant progress, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and with the intensification of the Vietnam War that same year, it became revolutionary to some. As the movement progressed, widespread social tensions also developed concerning other issues, and tended to flow along generational lines regarding respect for the individual, human sexuality, women's rights, traditional modes of authority, rights of people of color, end of racial segregation, experimentation with psychoactive drugs, and differing interpretations of the American Dream. Many key movements related to these issues were born or advanced within the counterculture of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plane Stupid</span> UK-focused group of environmental protesters

Plane Stupid is a UK-focused group of environmental protesters who state their aim as wanting to see an end to airport expansion for what it sees as "unnecessary and unsustainable" flights. It is a loose association of autonomous regional groups, and is funded by donations.

Climate Rush is a UK organisation that campaigns on various environmental issues related to climate change. Their website states that, "We are a diverse group of women and men who are determined to raise awareness of the biggest threat facing humanity today - that of Climate Change". The organisation was founded in October 2008 by a group of eleven women, including Tamsin Omond. They have organised various protests using direct action to highlight their cause. They model their actions on those of the suffragettes who campaigned a century ago to gain women the right to vote. Members of the Women's Institute have campaigned alongside members of the organisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream Hampton</span> American filmmaker and producer

dream hampton is an American filmmaker, producer, and writer. Her work includes the 2019 Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly, which she executive produced, and the 2012 An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, on which she served as co-executive producer. She co-wrote Jay-Z's 2010 memoir Decoded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolutionary Communist Party, USA</span> Political party

The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA is a new communist party in the United States founded in 1975 and led by its chairman, Bob Avakian. The party organizes for a revolution to overthrow the system of capitalism and replace it with a socialist state, with the final aim of world communism. The RCP is frequently described as a cult around Avakian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reni Eddo-Lodge</span> British journalist and author

Reni Eddo-Lodge is a British journalist and author, whose writing primarily focuses on feminism and exposing structural racism. She has written for a range of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Voice, BuzzFeed, Vice, i-D and Dazed & Confused, and is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter</span> Social movement originating in the US

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people and to promote anti-racism. Its primary concerns are police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. The movement began in response to the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Rekia Boyd, among others. BLM and its related organizations typically advocate for various policy changes related to black liberation and criminal justice reform. While there are specific organizations that label themselves "Black Lives Matter", such as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the overall movement is a decentralized network with no formal hierarchy. As of 2021, there are about 40 chapters in the United States and Canada. The slogan "Black Lives Matter" itself has not been trademarked by any group.

Sanaa Seif is an Egyptian activist and film editor who became actively involved in the Egyptian revolution in 2011. She was a student of language and translation at October 6 University until her arrest in 2014. She was granted a presidential pardon, along with 100 others, in September 2015.

<i>Winter on Fire: Ukraines Fight for Freedom</i> 2015 Ukrainian film

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom is a 2015 documentary film directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, written by Den Tolmor about the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine from 21 November 2013 to 23 February 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altheia Jones-LeCointe</span> Trinidadian physician and research scientist (born 1945)

Altheia Jones-LeCointe is a Trinidadian physician and research scientist also known for her role as a leader of the British Black Panther Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Jones-LeCointe came to public attention in 1970 as one of the nine protestors, known as the Mangrove Nine, arrested and tried on charges that included conspiracy to incite a riot, following a protest against repeated police raids of The Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill, London. They were all acquitted of the most serious charges and the trial became the first judicial acknowledgement of behaviour motivated by racial hatred, rather than legitimate crime control, within the Metropolitan Police.

gal-dem was an independent British online and print magazine produced by women of colour and non-binary people of colour. Founded in 2015, it ceased publication in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extinction Rebellion</span> Environmental pressure group

Extinction Rebellion is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse. Extinction Rebellion was established in Stroud in May 2018 by Gail Bradbrook, Simon Bramwell, Roger Hallam, Stuart Basden, along with six other co-founders from the campaign group Rising Up!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Hallam (activist)</span> British environmental activist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion

Julian Roger Hallam is an environmental activist and convicted criminal who co-founded Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain, the cooperative federation organisation Radical Routes, and the political party Burning Pink. In April 2024 Hallam was given a suspended two year sentence for attempting to block Heathrow Airport with drones, and in July 2024 he was convicted of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance by blocking the M25 motorway and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Vuyani Pambo is a South African politician and former student activist. He has represented the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the National Assembly since May 2019 and serves as the head of the EFF presidency. He rose to political prominence as a leader of the Fees Must Fall movement at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was the head of the EFF Student Command. A member of the EFF Central Command since December 2019, he also served as the party's national spokesperson between February 2020 and February 2022.

Camp Jened was a summer camp for disabled people in the state of New York that became a springboard for the disability rights movement and independent living movement in the United States. Many campers and counselors became disability rights activists, such as Judith Heumann, James LeBrecht, and Bobbi Linn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter movement in popular culture</span>

The Black Lives Matter movement has been depicted and documented in various artistic forms and mediums including film, song, television, and the visual arts. In some instances this has taken place in the form of protest art. These cultural representations have also grown organically among artists who seek to partake in activist efforts in support or in recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement. The themes conveyed in these artistic works address the history of racism and injustice toward people of color in the United States and typically express sentiments of anger and fear as well as solace and hope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Palmer</span> British climate activist

Dominique Palmer FRSA is a British climate justice activist and student. She spoke at 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and began her activism as one of the U.K's leading U.K environmentalists and youth activists in the School Strike for Climate Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elijah McKenzie-Jackson</span> British artist (born 2003)

Elijah McKenzie-Jackson is a visual artist focused on common themes of climate justice, based in London and New York City, known for noting intersectional themes; for example indigenous rights. McKenzie-Jackson is co-founder at Waic Up, an organizer of Youth Strike for Climate, and is a United Nations Togetherband Ambassador. He is one of the organizers who started Fridays for Future UK, in February 2019.

References

  1. "BAM". Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. "Generation Revolution: what happens when black activism goes wrong". Gal Dem. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  3. "Everything you need to know about Black Lives Matter UK". Gal Dem. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  4. "In the UK, we also can't breathe". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. "Generation Revolution: 'We were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder'". British Film Institute. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  6. "'Generation Revolution' Explores Protests and Activist Groups in the U.K." Teen Vogue. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  7. "Generation Revolution: New documentary gives voice to London's young activists of colour". The Evening Standard. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. "Generation Revolution: New documentary follows journey of London's young activists of colour". The Independent. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. "Generation Revolution review – passion and idealism in brave documentary". The Guardian. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  10. "Generation Revolution review – engaging look at London's young activists of colour". The Guardian. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2020.