Donmar Warehouse To Release Short Film 'Monuments' Exploring The Legacy Of Empire On The Local Community

In 2021 The Donmar Warehouse is continuing its work with young people and the local community through its Donmar Local programme. During the autumn of 2020, a company of twelve Black, Brown and multiracial young Londoners local to The Donmar Warehouse, worked with director Sara Aniqah Malik, writer Nessah Muthy, director of photography Feňěmi Awoějiědeě and movement director Kane Husbands, to produce a bold short film called MONUMENTS.

Young people are pushing for political action, drawing attention to the racialised power structures embedded within society. Change is on the horizon.

MONUMENTS was created in response to the anti-racism movements which swept across the world in 2020. The young company have devised a film that explores how the legacy of the British Empire continues to impact their day to day lives, and how statues in the heart of Westminster are physical reminders of the history of slavery and colonialism.

The film combines original text and movement created by the young people in close collaboration with the experienced creative team. The filming of MONUMENTS took place in December 2020, with cast and crew adhering to government guidelines throughout the shoot.

Michael Longhurst, Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director said "The Donmar's mission is important stories, thrillingly told, and MONUMENTS is an example of how our artists can do this digitally, even with the restrictions created by the pandemic. I am so inspired by how this young company have explored their own experiences to create a really powerful film."

MONUMENTS will be available on the Donmar's YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/donmarwarehouse from 11am Tuesday 9 February 2021. The film will be captioned and an audio described version will also be available on the same date.

MONUMENTS will be accompanied by a special edition of The Donmar Warehouse podcast exploring the process behind the film and its themes. In this episode Donmar Associate Artist Prasanna Puwanarajah will speak to director Sara Aniqah Malik and company members Alexandra Elliott and Omar Williams about the conversations they had during the devising process. The podcast and an accompanying transcript will be released on Soundcloud on Thursday 11 February.

Through Donmar Local, the Donmar works in its home boroughs of Camden and Westminster to produce work that celebrates the stories and voices of the community and share programmes which use theatre as a way to encourage discussion and debate.

The Donmar Warehouse is a charity, and public funding makes up only 7% of its income. The generous support to-date from ticket-buyers, members, trusts, foundations and corporate partners has enabled it not only to deliver much-loved productions but also to work with thousands of young people and communities each year, to develop industry leading artists and to nurture the next generation of theatre audiences. For the Donmar, audience support is more crucial than ever as they look ahead to how they can sustain the organisation over the coming months. To support The Donmar Warehouse and donate during this difficult time, more information can be found at https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/support/.

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