The Felling of Colston

Chronicling the felling of the statue of Edward Colston–a 17th Century slave trader–during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, England, and how this act of rebellion made waves across the UK and the World.

June 7th 2020. Sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota, 10,000 people took to the streets of Bristol to make a stand against police brutality, discrimination and systemic racism. The statue of Edward Colston was tied, pulled from its pedestal, rolled to the harbour, and poetically dumped into the very port used to transport millions of slaves in the 1700’s. The event trended Worldwide, prompting similar acts across the UK and the World.

What does this mean for other statues and symbols of problematic historic figures? How do we remember the past without glorifying the horrific deeds perpetrated by these people?

A film by Arthur Cauty

Featuring:
Daniel Edmund
David Olusoga
Lanie
Victor
Norson
Tiffany
Yvonne
Clayton

Archive:
Samuel Liddell, Kevin Murphy, Alon Aviram, Sarah Turnnidge, Simon Cobb, Andrew McCarthy, BBC, ABC News, New York Times, Huffington Post, Intelligence Squared, National Portrait Gallery, Suddeutsche Zeitung Photo, Channel 4 News, Bristol 24/7, Interfoto, Twitter

Poster photo by Ben Birchall

Music:
Madison York
Johannes Bornlof
Cerulean Skies
Da Sein

Filmed on the Panasonic S1H + Sigma Art 24mm f/1.4, Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4, Canon 24-105 f/4 L

arthurcauty.com/
blacklivesmatter.com/

#SayTheirNames #BlackLivesMatter #BLM

Tags: statue, colston, racism, edward colston, Bristol, documentary, protest, slavery, police brutality, George Floyd, black lives matter, justice, inequality, black people, discrimination, film, revolution, say their names and colston statue documentary