The We Are Many anti-war documentary film took nine years to make
An epic film about the global anti Iraq war protests of 2003, which brought 30 million people out onto the streets all around the world, is released this week and features Birmingham political activists Salma Yaqoob and Clare Short alongside a host of campaigners, politicians and celebrities including Jesse Jackson, Damon Albarn, Richard Branson, Hans Blix, Noam Chomsky and the late Tony Benn.
We Are Many, which took director Amir Amirani nine years and three-time house remortgages to make, is finally released on Thursday 21 in cinemas across the country, including three separate screenings in Birmingham.
Recently praised and supported by the likes of Stephen Fry and Russell Brand, the highly praised film explores the global domino effect that began with the huge protests which took place on the same day in 2003 while taking an in-depth look at how the largest international anti-war movement came to be in the wake of 9/11.
Was it really 12 years ago? I’m not sure a trailer has ever made me want to see a film more @WeAreManyMovie https://t.co/26Gt0Zm5TE
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) May 8, 2015
I just supported Watch We Are Many from May 21 on @ThunderclapIt // @WeAreManyMovie http://t.co/3SHPfOpa2G
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) May 18, 2015
About 30 million people in 800 cities on every continent, surprisingly even in Antarctica, marched against the Iraq war on the 15 February 2003.
In Britain, around 2 million people marched in London, converging on Hyde Park as political leaders clamoured to appear on stage alongside veteran peace campaigners; especially once it became apparent public opinion was firmly not on the side of the pro-war camp. It was the largest protest of any kind in British history.
Protesters create a peace sign in the Antarctic on February 15, 2003
Salma Yaqoob, chair of Birmingham Stop the War Coalition, features in the documentary as one of the key people interviewed about the events on that day. Following the swell of public feeling, she went on to co-establish the Respect party with journalist George Monbiot and was elected as a councillor in Birmingham.
Salma Yaqoob features in the film in her role as chair of Birmingham Stop the War Coalition (Photograph: BBC)
Former Labour cabinet member Clare Short, who resigned in protest at the Iraq war, joins Salma Yaqoob at a peace rally (Photograph: Adam Yosef)
Birmingham peace activist Salma Yaqoob addresses crowds at an anti-war rally in London (Photograph: Adam Yosef)
Former Labour cabinet member and International Development Secretary, Clare Short, also appears in the film. She famously resigned over the then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision to join the US in bombing Iraq, a country still reeling from and largely in a state of perpetual chaos since being invaded in 2003.
Birmingham was one of the major UK cities to mobilise protesters during the anti-Iraq war protests, sending over 1,000 people on over twenty separate full-size coaches to London on 15 February, 2003. The city’s peace movement was an unprecedented coalition of churches, mosques, community centres, schools, colleges, trade unions, artists, politicians and ordinary citizens wanting to express their dismay at a government leading a nation into war against its wishes.
Director of anti-war documentary film We Are Many, Amir Amirani
Reflecting on his final work, director Amirani explains: “It seemed the 15th of February , 2003, was the biggest demonstration in history, the first to be co – ordinated globally, and to be on such a scale before a war had started.
“This was my light-bulb moment. I realized that it didn’t matter where anyone was on that day, but that they took part somewhere , such as the 70 people who demonstrated in Antarctica! And I also realized that something like that does not just happen out of the blue.
“I knew there was a story there to be told, and that in some way it heralded something, a new phenomenon that went to the heart of the public’s relationship to politics, to each other and to great political events shaping our lives. I didn’t know what that was, or how the day came about, but I was determined to find out.
Around 30 million people in 800 cities across the world took to the streets in protest at the impending Iraq war
“That day , which inspired the film and forms its central narrative, was a day on which many ordinary citizens, who were not political or activists, came out for the first time to protest against a war, effectively becoming politicized by the experience.”
Flyers for @WeAreManyMovie, showing in Brum tmrw 8pm at @CineworldBirmin, @ODEONCinemas and @ElectricBham. pic.twitter.com/sJmXKSPaAI via @BStWC
— Salma Yaqoob (@SalmaYaqoob) May 20, 2015
We Are Many also includes moving and insightful interviews with actor and activist Danny Glover, Born on the Fourth of July author Ron Kovic, musician Brian Eno, former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett, Lord Falconer, Writer Tariq Ali 38 Degrees founder David Babbs, Stop the War UK convenor Lindsey German and a host of other contributors.
We Are Many charts the revolutionary movements of 2003 and 2011
The film is being screened in Birmingham on Thursday 21st May at 8pm, at three cinemas in the city, including Cineworld Broad Street, Odeon New Street and The Electric. In Wolverhampton, the film will be showing at the Light House. There are no showings on other days, at present. You can find out more on the Birmingham screenings Facebook event page here.
As part of nationwide screenings, a Q&A hosted by Channel 4 News’ Jon Snow (and with special guests) will be broadcast after the film, live from London.
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You can get tickets for your local screening of the film at the official We Are Many website, or directly from your local participating cinema on the day.
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