BACKLASH: BBC TWO EXPLORE THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD IN NEW DOCUMENTARY

Five years since the murder of George Floyd – the police killing that set America ablaze with rage and sparked a wave of protests and demands for equality around the world - this new feature length film for BBC Two and iPlayer tells the story of his murder, the massive global reaction to it and the backlash that followed.

Produced by multi-award-winning Rogan Productions (Uprising, Black Power: A British Story of Resistance, Defiance: Fighting the Far Right), Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd features ground-breaking interviews from the key players involved, including access to members of George Floyd’s family and Chief Medaria Arradondo, the Minneapolis Police Chief who took the bold step of testifying against one of his own officers, who killed George Floyd.

The film also features UK cultural figures such as Nathalie Emmanuel, Munya Chawawa and Che Lingo, who all attended protests to demand change.

It shows how, in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s death, many people defied police orders and Covid restrictions as they took to the streets calling for an end to racial inequalities and police brutality. The film shows how social media became a powerful tool in mobilising protests across the UK and beyond, amplifying the call to end racism.

At a time when diversity initiatives in the USA are being scrapped by President Trump’s decree, and Elon Musk retweeted Ben Chapiro's call for Derek Chauvin to be pardoned, this film explores how his death became one of the most significant moments in modern history. It also questions whether enough has been achieved since then and what needs to happen next.

Capturing a UK wide story and perspective, the film explores how George Floyd’s murder was a moment of reckoning, not only in the US but also in the UK. It brought stories of police brutality against the likes of Julian Cole and Dalian Atkinson into mainstream conversation.

Instagram went black. John Boyega gave an impassioned speech that shook the world. Young people said: enough. But, as statues were toppled and protests turned violent, the Right seized the initiative and a growing wave of hostility to the Black Lives Matter movement swept across the UK.

Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd takes viewers deep inside the movement, intertwining archive footage with exclusive interviews with those from all sides. The film revisits one of the most important and defining events to happen in our lifetime and asks what it means for us all now, and in the future?

Kwabena Oppong, Director, Rogan Productions says: “The shockwaves of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 became a catalyst for change worldwide—or so it seemed. Over the past five years, we’ve seen progress and growth, but also a growing backlash. Behind everything we consume on TV, in the news, and on social media, there’s a deeper story...

"Through compelling archive footage, user-generated content, and powerful personal testimonies, we aim to bring these stories to the forefront and truly understand what happened in the summer of 2020 and whether lasting change is possible.”

Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, says: “As our success this week at the RTS Awards demonstrated, documentary storytelling is a specialism that has a unique ability to help us see the world from a different perspective, from the young people risking their lives in the war in Ukraine in Hell Jumper and the extraordinary testimony of the survivors of nuclear bombs in Atomic People to the young lads from Preston in Freddie’s Field of Dreams on Tour...

"This new commission again has powerful personal testimony at its heart as it examines the seismic events following the murder of George Floyd and what we can learn from it five years on.”

The film will also have a theatrical release across the UK from 9 May and will then be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer later that month.