Private Project

Scotland, Slavery & Statues

The death of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of white police officers in the US sent shockwaves across the world. The Black Lives Matter movement intensified. And Scotland was not getting off lightly.

The epicentre of this has been in Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. A 150-foot statue of Henry Dundas has ignited a fiery debate that has sent ripples throughout Scotland.

We show the twists and turns of this four-year story – the delays, dynamics and arguments about whether slavery should be mentioned on the plaque - unravelling what this statue symbolises for Scotland as a nation.

  • Parisa Urquhart
    Director
    Strike for Freedom: Frederick Douglass in Scotland, Long Live Livi
  • Parisa Urquhart
    Producer
    Strike for Freedom: Frederick Douglass in Scotland, Long Live Livi, Scotland's Secret Slavery
  • Mark Harrison
    Executive Producer
  • Anthea Harvey
    Editor
  • Ceri Isfryn
    Edit Producer
  • Professor Sir Geoff Palmer
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    58 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    89,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • BAFTA Scotland Award 'Single Documentary' Category

    United Kingdom
    November 20, 2021
    BAFTA Award
  • BBC Scotland Channel

    United Kingdom
    October 20, 2020
    Broadcast also 24th March 2020, 9th March 2021
  • Edinburgh Filmhouse
    Edinburgh
    United Kingdom
    March 6, 2022
    BAFTA Screening
Distribution Information
  • Urquhart Media Limited
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Theatrical, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
Director Biography - Parisa Urquhart

Parisa Urquhart is a a BAFTA winning Scottish Persian documentary director and producer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She makes content that has a particular focus on identity and colonisation, with an emphasis on truth and education: they are often game-changing stories that challenge the status quo. The stories emerge from Scotland and UK but resonate globally and span current affairs films for Channel 4 News, documentaries for BBC television and cinematic shorts.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The filmmaker, Parisa Urquhart, who produced and directed this documentary followed and filmed this story persistently over four years enabling viewers to visually see the twists and turns in the debate as worldwide events began to impact on the outcome. No other journalist or filmmaker acknowledged the importance of this story at such an early stage. The filmmaker wanted to get this story known nationwide and needed to fund the filming so she managed to get a commission with the Channel 4 Film Fund in 2018 to make a 5min film for C4 news. The screening of this triggered much debate. Parisa tried to secure a commission for a longer film between 2018 - 2019 but was not successful. Even so, she kept filming. She managed to ensure access to key contributors to create a balanced impartial film - this involved a lot of patience, diplomacy and building up of trust. It meant that viewers were able to understand the argument from a diverse perspective - particularly from under-represented voices who are descendants of those enslaved. Finally she secured a commission in 2020 and the successful documentary triggered a lot of debate in Scotland and won a BAFTA Scotland award in the 'Single Documentary' category in 2021.