Oscar-winning director Sir Steve McQueen says his new film about Nazi-occupied Amsterdam is a “call to arms”.
The four-hour documentary fuses imagery of present-day Amsterdam with narration, taking the viewer through the day-to-day life of the Jewish community under Nazi occupation.
McQueen‘s new film Occupied City is adapted from his wife Bianca Stigter’s Dutch-language book Atlas Of An Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945).
It is the latest offering from the acclaimed British director who counts Oscar-winning Twelve Years A Slave, Hunger, and BBC series Small Axe to his credits.
Speaking to Sky News’s Backstage podcast at the London Film Festival for the film’s UK premiere, McQueen says his four-hour documentary brings back the horrors of fascism.
“I don’t think we can actually understand the sort of fear and the environment that one was in. And also, strangely enough, maybe because of that, people forget it,” he said.
It’s about “bringing it up into the present-day psyche”, he added.
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It’s this psyche that brings the film into the path of Britain’s modern political discourse.
Image: Steve McQueen at the London Film Festival screening of Occupied City
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Human Rights Act and its enforcer, the European Court of Human Rights, were created – with the UK as one of its founding nations.
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McQueen’s comments come just days after the Conservative Party conference in Manchester where Home Secretary Suella Braverman joked “I’m surprised they didn’t call it the Criminal Rights Act” while talking about illegal immigration.
“I think whatever populism, whatever drum people are going to beat to sort of get votes or to get sort of noticed I think hopefully people will see through that and understand what’s actually going on,” McQueen said.
Fusing Amsterdam’s present with narration by Melanie Hyams, the horrors that occurred at each film location are brought to life.
McQueen aims not just to reflect on this part of shared history but also to encourage audiences to think about where we are heading politically today.
He said: “I think that’s what this film is about, it was a rallying cry as a warning of pending dangers of the right, but also the fact that if you don’t do anything, nothing happens. So, it is a call to arms if anything.”
Image: Bianca Stigter
For Dutch producer and historian Stigter, this is an issue close to home as well.
“That’s in Amsterdam and the Netherlands too and if this film can help to be an antidote to that, please, please, please,” she said.
McQueen is optimistic though, saying we shouldn’t underestimate the British public.
“Especially because the last five years have been so turbulent, people are switched on. I am very positive about that particular idea,” he said.
“And people understand what’s going on because they’ve seen through a lot of lies, seen through a lot of the situations where people are not telling the truth.”
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Occupied City posits the atrocities of fascism with the present day, and the Oscar-winning director admits it is “a call to arms”, a “siren call” and a “warning of pending dangers” for his home country.
But when pressed if he believes this “populism” means Britain is at risk of becoming a fascist country, McQueen is tight-lipped.
“Next question,” he told Sky News and moves swiftly onto the next interview.
Occupied City is due to be released in Spring 2024.
For more on London Film Festival listen to the latest episode of Backstage, the film and TV podcast from Sky News recorded at the London Film Festival and featuring interviews with Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese and Lulu Wang.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of Kneecap and Bob Vylan.
Police announced the decision on Monday afternoon after reviewing video footage and audio of both sets, which took place on Saturday.
It comes after the BBC said it regretted the decision not to pull the live stream for Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance, during which frontman Bobby Vylan shouted anti-IDF (Israel Defence Forces) chants.
Later on Monday, as the story had made headlines throughout the day, drummer Bobbie Vylan released a video statement on Instagram, saying politicians who have spent time criticising the band should be “utterly ashamed” for giving “room” to this over other issues.
He also addressed what was said on stage, saying: “Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don’t let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people.”
Image: Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said that after reviewing footage of both performances, further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken.
“A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation,” a spokesperson said. “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.”
The force said the investigation will be “evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”.
“We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling,” it added. “There is absolutely no place in society for hate.”
What happened?
Image: Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Yui Mok/PA Wire
During Bob Vylan’s set, the duo performed in front of a screen that showed several messages, including one that said Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “genocide”.
Bobby Vylan also led chants of “death to the IDF”.
The set was live streamed by the BBC as part of its Glastonbury coverage, but has not been made available on demand.
Politicians including the prime minister have criticised the performance. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants “crossed a line” and that there was no place at the festival for “antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence”.
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster respected freedom of expression “but stands firmly against incitement to violence”.
They added: “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves…
“The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
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What’s the Glastonbury controversy?
Media watchdog Ofcom said it was in talks with the BBC and that the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer” over the stream.
Irish-language rap trio Kneecap were on stage afterwards. Before their appearance at the festival, there had been calls for Glastonbury to remove them from the bill – as rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh (who performs as Mo Chara) is facing a terror charge, accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah at a gig in London last November.
Glastonbury organisers kept them on the line-up, but the BBC chose not to stream their set live. An edited version was later made available on demand.
On stage, the band led chants of “f*** Keir Starmer”.
O hAnnaidh’s bandmate Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) said they would “start a riot outside the courts” for O hAnnaidh’s next appearance, before clarifying: “No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
Hundreds of people turned out in protest for his first court appearance earlier this month.
After the police investigation was announced, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised the “appalling and unacceptable” scenes at Glastonbury and said the government would not tolerate antisemitism.
She said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan’s set to find out why it had aired, and why the feed had not been cut.
“I expect answers to these questions without delay,” she said.
Ms Nandy said she had spoken to members of the Jewish community, including attendees at Glastonbury, who said they were concerned by imagery and slogans and ended up creating their own “safe space”.
Christopher Landau, the US deputy secretary of state, said the band had been banned from the US ahead of a tour later this year due to their “hateful tirade” at the festival.
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Bob Vylan were set to perform in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the autumn. They are due to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and Boardmasters, a surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August.
Sharing a statement on Instagram after the Glastonbury set, Bobby Vylan said: “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.
“As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
The war in Gaza, which has continued for more than 18 months, began after Hamas militants launched attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed around 56,500 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
An inquest has found drag queen The Vivienne did not intend to take their life when they died after taking ketamine.
Coroner Jacqueline Devonish concluded The Vivienne, whose real name is James Lee Williams, died by “misadventure” after suffering cardio respiratory arrest.
In March, the star’s family revealed the performer had died “from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest”, saying they wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug.
Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard five drug snap bags were found, including in a bedroom draw and a bin in the bathroom, in their home in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester.
Police attended and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.
The inquest heard friends and family had no worries about Williams’s mental health and the performer was looking forward to future roles on TV and in the theatre, although did “occasionally” take ketamine.
The star’s family told the hearing the performer should not be remembered for their use of the Class B drug and that drugs did not define the person they were.
Williams’s father Lee Williams described them as “an outgoing character who was full of life” and “just wanted to make people laugh”.
“He achieved his goals. He had future goals he wanted to achieve. Along the way he always wanted to try to help his community, which he did and try to help other drag queens,” he said.
“He was always available. He never turned anybody down. He never turned his back on anybody. He never said no.
“He loved the stage, that’s where he saw the rest of his career being, on the stage, in the theatre. That’s what he loved to do.”
Williams’s funeral in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, North Wales, was attended by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants Tia Kofi and Baga Chipz, along with Steps singer Ian “H” Watkins, TV personality Kim Woodburn and Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney.
Image: The Vivienne at the premiere of the film ‘Wicked’ in November 2024. Pic: AP
During their time on the show, under their drag name, Williams admitted having been a drug addict for four years.
“It was party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party, it was constant for me,” they said.
They added that their addiction was a “habit that caught on a bit too quick and a bit too hard”.
The TV personality, who grew up in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, before moving to Liverpool, came third in the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.
The star performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year.
They were due back on stage in March as the Childcatcher in a tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a role they first played last year.
The government is seeking expert advice after illegal use of ketamine surged to record levels.
In the year ending March 2023, an estimated 299,000 people aged 16 to 59 had reported use of the substance, which is controlled as class B, according to the Home Office.
At their Glastonbury set on Saturday, punk-rap duo Bob Vylan’s singer led chants of “death, death to the IDF”.
The chants have been labelled antisemitic by the BBC and the organisation has since apologised for airing the performance.
But shadow home secretary Chris Philp has called for the broadcaster to be prosecuted, saying it “should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict”.
Avon and Somerset Police has now launched a criminal investigation into the Glastonbury performances of Bob Vylan and Kneecap.
What should the BBC have done – and will the corporation face prosecution?
Host Sarah-Jane Mee speaks to Channel Four’s former head of news and current affairs, Dorothy Byrne, to understand what the BBC should have done differently. She also speaks to legal expert Joshua Rozenberg about whether Bob Vylan’s performance constitutes a hate crime and if the BBC may be prosecuted for broadcasting it.