The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | |
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Genre | True crime |
Written by | Paul Greengrass |
Directed by | Paul Greengrass |
Starring | Marianne Jean-Baptiste Hugh Quarshie Leon Black Ashley Walters Millicent Gezi Joseph Kpobie Brian Bovell Jo Martin |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Jeff Pope Yvette Vanson |
Producer | Mark Redhead |
Cinematography | Ivan Strasburg |
Editor | Clare Douglas |
Running time | 120 minutes |
Production companies | Granada Television, Vanson Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 18 February 1999 |
The Murder of Stephen Lawrence is a British television true crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Greengrass, that first broadcast on ITV on 18 February 1999. [1] It won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama.
The film, based on the murder committed on 22 April 1993, follows Stephen's parents' Doreen and Neville's quest for justice as a gang of racist teenagers are tried for their son's murder. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Hugh Quarshie star as Doreen and Neville, with Leon Black playing Stephen, and Ashley Walters, Millicent Gezi, Joseph Kpobie and Brian Bovell also amongst the main cast. [2]
The film was first conceived in 1997, with then head of drama at ITV, Nick Elliott, commissioning the project before a script had even been written. Producer Mark Readhead said a key part of the film was to "concentrate on the personal, rather than police, procedures", in order to create a "true story". [3] The film was notable for being actress Jean-Baptiste's first British screen role since her Oscar nomination for Secrets and Lies .
The film was released on VHS in the United States on 23 April 2002, but this remains the only home release. [4]
In the wake of various Black Lives Matter protests, and as part of ITV's "Black Voices" strand, the drama was repeated on ITV in July 2020, immediately after an hour-long debate programme titled Stephen Lawrence: Has Britain Changed? [5]
In July 2020, it was announced that a new, three-part sequel to the 1999 drama had been commissioned by ITV. The series will be set 13 years after Lawrence's death and will depict his parents’ fight for justice. [6] The series, entitled Stephen was broadcast from 30 August to 13 September 2021.