# Small Axe (anthology)

Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Two episodes of the series were selected into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised by Bob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".

## Films

| Episode | Title | Director | Screenwriters | UK release date | US release date | Runtime |
| 1 | Mangrove | Steve McQueen | McQueen and Alastair Siddons | 15 November 2020 | 20 November 2020 | 128 min. |
| 2 | Lovers Rock | Steve McQueen | McQueen and Courttia Newland | 22 November 2020 | 27 November 2020 | 68 min. |
| 3 | Red, White, and Blue | Steve McQueen | McQueen and Courttia Newland | 29 November 2020 | 4 December 2020 | 80 min. |
| 4 | Alex Wheatle | Steve McQueen | McQueen and Alastair Siddons | 6 December 2020 | 11 December 2020 | 66 min. |
| 5 | Education | Steve McQueen | McQueen and Alastair Siddons | 13 December 2020 | 18 December 2020 | 63 min. |

## Production
### Development

It has been reported that Steve McQueen began working on the idea for Small Axe in 2010, and that some form of the series was in development since 2012. While the series was initially conceived as a conventional television series with a serialized story, McQueen realized during development that he had sufficient material to make several distinct films. In January 2014, it was announced that he would write and direct an untitled television series for either BBC One or BBC Two about the experience of black people in Britain. In August 2015, it was announced that the series would air on BBC One. In June 2019, Amazon Prime Video was announced to be distributing the series in the United States, with Amazon Studios co-producing. The screenwriters include the British-Caribbean novelist Courttia Newland (author of The Gospel According to Cane, 2013) and Alastair Siddons.

### Casting

In June 2019, it was announced that Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, and Jack Lowden had joined the cast of the series. In January 2020, Micheal Ward joined the cast of the series.

## Release

Lovers Rock had its world premiere as the opener of the 58th New York Film Festival on 17 September 2020. Mangrove had its world premiere at the festival on 25 September, and Red, White, and Blue on 3 October. Mangrove also opened the 64th BFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2020; Lovers Rock screened at the same festival on 18 October.
The series premiered in the UK on BBC One on 15 November 2020 and in the United States on Amazon Prime Video on 20 November 2020, with one episode released per week on both platforms.
The series received a Blu-Ray release by The Criterion Collection on 25 April 2023. The release includes the five films, plus interviews and conversations with director Steve McQueen and cast/crew members, the 2021 documentary Uprising (codirected by McQueen and James Rogan), trailers, and an essay by Ashley Clark.

## Reception
### Critical response

Critical press reviews of each individual film were positive. All five films received approval ratings of at least 95% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, while Metacritic assigned four of the five a score indicating "universal acclaim".
Lovers Rock, in particular, was named the best film of 2020 by the British film magazine Sight & Sound in its poll of 104 critics worldwide; Mangrove came in at 13th.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes rating | Metacritic rating |
| Mangrove | 99% approval (8.79/10 average) | 90 (27 critics) |
| Lovers Rock | 98% approval (8.82/10 average) | 95 (27 critics) |
| Red, White and Blue | 97% approval (8.31/10 average) | 84 (18 critics) |
| Alex Wheatle | 97% approval (7.35/10 average) | 77 (17 critics) |
| Education | 95% approval (7.94/10 average) | 87 (15 critics) |

### Accolades

| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Cinematography | Shabier Kirchner (for "Lovers Rock") | Runner-up |
| Broadcasting Press Guild | Best Drama Series | Small Axe | Nominated |
| Broadcasting Press Guild | Best Actress | Letitia Wright | Nominated |
| Broadcasting Press Guild | Best Actor | Shaun Parkes | Nominated |
| Broadcasting Press Guild | Best Writer | Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Alastair Siddons | Nominated |
| Broadcasting Press Guild | Breakthrough Award | Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Mini-Series | Steve McQueen, Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Michael Elliott, Anita Overland | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Actor | John Boyega (for "Red, White and Blue") | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Actor | Shaun Parkes (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Actress | Letitia Wright (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Malachi Kirby (for "Mangrove") | Won |
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Micheal Ward (for "Lovers Rock") | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Costume Design | Jacqueline Durran | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Director: Fiction | Steve McQueen | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Editing: Fiction | Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Make Up and Hair Design | Jojo Williams | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction | Shabier Kirchner | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Production Design | Helen Scott | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Scripted Casting | Gary Davy | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Sound: Fiction | Paul Cotterell, James Harrison, Ronald Bailey | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Writer: Drama | Alastair Siddons and Steve McQueen | Nominated |
| British Society of Cinematographers Awards | Best Cinematography in a Television Drama | Shabier Kirchner (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Film | Lovers Rock | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Steve McQueen (for "Lovers Rock") | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Letitia Wright (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Shabier Kirchner (for "Lovers Rock") | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Editing | Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen (for "Lovers Rock") | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television | John Boyega (for "Red, White and Blue") | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Limited Series or Television Film | Small Axe | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Television | John Boyega | Won |
| Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Long Format | Small Axe | Nominated |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Streaming Limited Series, Anthology Series or Live-Action Television Movie | Small Axe | Nominated |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Movie | John Boyega | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Scripted Series | Small Axe | Nominated |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | Film of the Year | Lovers Rock | Nominated |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | Director of the Year | Small Axe | Won |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | Supporting Actor of the Year | Shaun Parkes | Won |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | Attenborough Award for British/Irish Film of the Year | Lovers Rock | Nominated |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Picture | Small Axe | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Steve McQueen | Runner-up |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Shabier Kirchner | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Music | Mica Levi (for "Lovers Rock") | Runner-up |
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series | Steve McQueen (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Cinematographer | Shabier Kirchner | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie | Shabier Kirchner (for "Mangrove") | Nominated |
| RTS Programme Awards | Mini-Series | Small Axe | Nominated |
| RTS Programme Awards | Actor - Male | Shaun Parkes | Won |
| RTS Programme Awards | Writer - Drama | Steve McQueen and Alistair Siddeon | Nominated |
| RTS Craft & Design Awards | Director - Drama | Steve McQueen | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries & Limited Series | Small Axe | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film | John Boyega | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Film | Letitia Wright | Nominated |
| Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Small Axe | Won |