Stephen Lawrence's legacy of change laid out in black-and-white

The racially-motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence shocked the UK in 1993, and since then reforms of the police service and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust have been founded in his name, headed by his mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE.

Marking the launch of Stephen Lawrence Day 2021, which will take place on 22nd April, Simon Frederick's stark and powerful film, Never Forget, stars a blend of famous and non-famous multicultural Britons speaking to camera about Lawrence's legacy.

Shot in black-and-white with a single, locked-off camera, the film enlists the talents of prominent figures including Kwame Kwei-Armah, Denise Lewis OBE, Sir Trevor McDonald, Benjamin Zephaniah and Sir Keir Starmer to deliver the striking message, with tight editing emboldening the commanding tone.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence, founder of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, said: “The events of 2020: - George Floyd’s death, and the subsequent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, along with societal inequalities exposed and exacerbated by COVID has made us reflect how we engage with our communities. This brought a sharp focus on what I want to be achieved in Stephen’s name. I want Stephen Lawrence Day to be a reflective learning experience, and a celebration and a journey toward greater equality and inclusion for all.”