Film / News
Watch the new Colston Four documentary here
Now that the trial is over, with all four defendants being acquitted of causing criminal damage, the background to the case of the Colston 4 is revealed in a new short documentary by local filmmaker Arthur Cauty.
Arthur’s first film on the subject, the insightful, award-winning The Felling of Colston, explored the background to the symbolic toppling of the Edward Colston statue, which sparked a national debate.
Now he’s returned to the story of the four people charged in the aftermath of the protests.
Featuring exclusive interviews with the defendants and their legal team, The Colston Four goes behind the headlines to take a closer look at the issues and personalities involved as the trial draws to a close.
Defendant Rhian Graham interviewed in The Colston Four
Colston 4 defendant Sage Willoughby in the short film
“A year and half after the toppling, I felt that my original film was only half the story,” Arthur told Bristol24/7.
“So revisiting it seemed essential. I shot it over a the course of a week just before Christmas, as the trial was coming to a head.
The Black Lives Matter protest that culminated in the toppling of Colston
“I wanted to do something to support the four people on trial.
It’s such a ridiculous idea to me that anyone should be prosecuted for the removal of such an offensive statue, but it’s even more ridiculous that the statue was still standing in 2020, and that these four people had to literally take matters into their own hands to make change happen.”
“The ensuing court case and the politics behind it is really interesting, and is sadly another example of just how ingrained racism is in our society.”
All photos: Arthur Cauty
Read more:
- New documentary explores global impact of the toppling of the Colston statue
- Colston 4 barrister: ‘The prosecution was not in the public interest in any shape or form’
- Jubilant and emotional scenes in Bristol as Colston 4 acquitted
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