The Making of MONUMENTS

MONUMENTS, our Donmar Local project, features a company of twelve Black, Brown and multiracial young Londoners who have produced a bold short film exploring their own experiences of everyday racism.

The film was released via our YouTube channel on 9 February 2021 and is available to watch for free here. Read on to take a look behind the scenes.

MONUMENTS was filmed in December 2020, with cast and crew adhering to Government guidelines throughout the shoot.

Read on to find out more about the process behind the film.

The MONUMENTS company worked with Movement Director Kane Husbands to create original movement for the film.

For most of the Company, it was their first time acting on screen. The creative team were so impressed at how quickly they picked up all the tricks of the trade.

First up, we chatted with director Sara Aniqah Malik about the process of creating MONUMENTS and what she learnt from collaborating with the MONUMENTS company.

Can you tell us a bit about the process of creating MONUMENTS?

It was a rehearsal room like I’d never seen before; Black, Brown and multiracial young people taking up space in a West End theatre with confidence and self-belief.

There was a sense of familiarity in the room that I’d never felt before; from the outset, we were hearing directly from the company’s personal experiences and traumas, always received in the room with warmth and understanding. It felt like we had created a space in which the barriers of the outside world did not impose and the stories were flowing from left, right and centre.

The process was undoubtedly challenging at times due to Covid restrictions. During the course of our rehearsals, the tier system changed twice, meaning that we suddenly had to move all sessions online and then suddenly we were allowed to work in person again. During the filming process, the system changed again meaning we had to re-plan the shoot and rewrite parts of the script in order to accommodate the restrictions.

What did you learn from working with the young people?

I learnt that when you give someone an opportunity, they rise to the challenge. We often underestimate young people and therefore don’t create spaces for them to surprise us. Even after spending 10 weeks with the company devising the film, I was still impressed and startled by their talent.

When we set up the camera for the first shot on the first day of filming, we saw one of the company members, Junior, come into focus on the monitor. Seeing how alive his performance was on the screen and his ability to understand all of the silent cues of screen acting (for the first time!) was starling and so heartwarming. I thought to myself: if we hadn’t created a space for this, maybe no one would know how talented he is.

One big task for the creative team was mixing up the clay which covers the company’s faces and bodies throughout the film.

Director of Photography Fẹ́mi Awójídé rehearses with the company.

Next, here are more insights into the MONUMENTS process from some of the twelve young Black, Brown and multiracial young Londoners, who worked with Sara and the creative team to create the film.

Why did you want to take part in MONUMENTS?

Kezia: I wanted to get involved in MONUMENTS because I felt like it was a great opportunity to express important issues in a very creative way.

Junior: I wanted to take part in MONUMENTS because I felt like something needed to be done. I’ve got a voice, I’ve got an opinion and with everything that had been going on with the protests, I wanted to have an input and make a change in my community.

What have you learnt during the process?

Emma: I’ve learnt a lot about myself and the experiences that other mixed race people have. I’ve had conversations that I’ve never really had before as a mixed race person.

Daniel: This process has given me confidence and made me believe that no matter what skin tone or colour you are, you can put your mind to anything and achieve anything you want to.

What advice would you give to other young people about how they can become changemakers within their community?

Rhea: Take every opportunity you get and don’t be afraid of being the only one. If you take these creative opportunities, you will meet people who have the exact same thought processes as you.

Mia: My advice to other young people would be to just get out there and talk with their peers. Together you can become a community dedicated to learning and changing.

The filming process took place both in Parliament Square and our Dryden Street rehearsal spaces with cast and crew adhering to COVID guidelines.

The script, movement, music and filming process were a close collaboration between the creative team and the company based on their experiences of everyday racism.

The MONUMENTS company were led by director Sara Aniqah Malik, writer Nessah Muthy, director of photography Fẹ́mi Awójídé and movement director Kane Husbands. The film combines original text, movement and music created by the young people in collaboration with the creative team.

Watch the full film on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/dmIl4Pltbps and find out more at donmarwarehouse.com