STEVE MCQUEEN
His Films and New BBC Projects
Yes, Steve McQueen has become a famous director, but did you know he only has four feature films to his name? Although he started directing in the early 1990s, his work initially consisted of short films. He didn’t make his first feature until Hunger in 2008. Let’s take a look at his feature filmography and what projects he has coming next.
Hunger
McQueen’s feature film debut is a historical drama set in the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. It tells the story of Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, who led fellow inmates in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. Hunger premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Caméra d’Or award for first-time filmmakers. Hunger is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
Shame
For his sophomore feature, McQueen teamed up again with Michael Fassbender to make Shame. The movie follows Brandon (Fassbender), a 30-something man living in New York City with an addiction to sex. When his troubled younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him, he finds his carefully crafted life begins to crumble. It premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival, where Fassbender won the award for best actor. Shame is available to watch on Max Go.
12 Years A Slave
This is probably McQueen’s most notable film to date. This biographical drama follows Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free Black man from upstate New York abducted and sold into slavery. He was forced to work on the plantation of the cruel Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o. 12 Years a Slave is available to rent on Amazon.
Widows
In this heist film, a group of widowed women band together to steal $5 million from a local politician in order to pay back a crime boss whom their husbands had robbed before dying. Widows unfortunately did not achieve the same commercial success as McQueen’s previous features, though it did garner positive reviews from critics. Widows is available to watch on Max Go.
Small Axe
McQueen is currently working on an anthology film series called Small Axe that will premiere on BBC One and Amazon Prime. The series will follow London’s West Indian community between the years 1969 and 1982. Not much is known about the series, but the first two episodes, Lovers Rock and Mangrove will virtually screen as part of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.
