UK: New film about the life of anti-slavery pioneer William Wilberforce premieres in Britain ahead of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slave trade

Record ID: 220226

  • Title: UK: New film about the life of anti-slavery pioneer William Wilberforce premieres in Britain ahead of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slave trade
  • Date: 22nd March 2007
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 19, 2007) (REUTERS) ACTORS IOAN GRUFFUDD AND YOUSSOU N'DOUR ARRIVING ACTOR BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH BEING INTERVIEWED DIRECTOR MICHAEL APTED N'DOUR GREETING A GUEST / PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR MICHAEL APTED SAYING: "I wanted to do a film about politics to show, to kind of wave a little flag and say there are moments in history when politics has done great things. I find so much kind of depression and cynicism about politics and politicians which there is some fair reason for but I've always been looking to try and do something positive and to show that politicians can be occasionally heroic and do good things and this is a kind of good illustration of that."
  • Embargoed: 6th April 2007 13:00
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  • Reuters ID: LVA7GAGEFZ0TI0E1NAGAW2OTK8GF
  • Story Text: "Amazing Grace," a new film portraying famous British Abolitionist William Wilberforce's fight against slavery, premiered in London with Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd, director Michael Apted and singer-turned-actor Youssou N'Dour.

    It was a fairly low-key UK premiere for "Amazing Grace", a movie about the life of anti-slavery pioneer William Wilberforce in London's Mayfair on Monday (March 19).
    But even if things were on the quiet side on Monday, the film is guaranteed to be thrust into the spotlight later in the week, with Britain celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slave trade.
    Amazing Grace follows the career of Wilberforce, who made the issue of slavery a talking point in the late 18th century Britain. The MP (Member of Parliament) waged a passionate campaign that ultimately led to the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. With Wilberforce's endless campaigning, the Parliament finally passed the first anti-slavery bill in 1807.
    The film also tells the story of Wilberforce's working friendship with William Pitt, Britain's youngest ever prime minister.
    "I wanted to do a film about politics to show, to kind of wave a little flag and say there are moments in history when politics has done great things. I find so much kind of depression and cynicism about politics and politicians which there is some fair reason for but I've always been looking to try and do something positive and to show that politicians can be occasionally heroic and do good things and this is a kind of good illustration of that," explained director Michael Apted, whose previous films include Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough", "Nell" and "Gorillas in the Mist."
    William Wilberforce is portrayed by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd. Gruffudd, who most recently starred in the first "Fantastic Four" film, was deeply inspired by Wilberforce's commitment to ending a practice supported by so many.
    "It was a very humbling experience playing a character of this nature because he had achieved so much in a lifetime, it would take me ten lifetimes to achieve even half of this and I was very humbled by his perseverance, as well, it took him twenty years trying to get this through Parliament. But you have to remember also that he was the gentleman in Parliament that was able to do something physically for the abolitioners movement. He was the one that was able to change it into law, to pass it into a law, the movement itself had been in existence for many many years. And the sad fact is as well in this day and age, we are still living with slavery, it is still around us and I believe there are more slaves in the world today than there were during the time of the slave trade," said Gruffudd.
    Apted also stressed the relevance the film has today, saying he hoped audiences would leave the cinema thinking about the issues he raises in the film.
    "Why, it is fantastically relevant today because slavery is always with us. Wilberforce and Pitt and his group managed to start the process that extinguished it in the United States but, I mean, there are more slaves now than then and every Western European country has a sex industry and those people are in slavery so slavery is always with us and you don't want to look at this film and think that slavery is finished, they got rid of slavery. Slavery is still there and I'd like people to think about that as much as what Wilberforce did," he said.
    The film, which has earned ten million U.S. dollars in the United States since opening on February 23, has been criticised by some for not recognising the role of blacks in the fight against slavery.
    However, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, who in the film plays Ouladah Equiano, a former slave, said the film-makers had chosen to concentrate solely on the politics of the day. The singer-turned-actor said he expected a variety of films in the future to tell the human side of the slave trade.
    "Yes, I think about slavery, you can talk about a lot of things, the plantation things and a lot of things. And this is really political and myself, I feel like I'm representing all the black people, all the African people, that's it, you know. And in the future you are going to see a lot of movies about slavery and people are going to talk about different sections," N'Dour said.
    "This film is about the political and it is about the Parliament, it's about England and all the message is about the abolition here," he added.
    Also attending the premiere were descendants of William Wilberforce, who discussed their ancestor with the cast members and the media.
    "I'm obviously delighted they are making a film about him and the long, long political fight to abolish slave trade. And yes, it is a very poignant moment and yes, it makes me very proud, I had a few tears in my eyes and it's a very serious subject and I'm pleased they've made a film about it," said William Wilberforce.
    "Amazing Grace" also stars Michael Gambon, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Toby Jones, and opens in the UK on March 23.
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