Brian & Co. Parliament Square SW1

Japan Congress of Journalists New Face Award 2009

“As long as it takes.” – The story of Brian Haw and his legendary Parliament Square Peace Campaign.


Documentary / UK, Japan / 2009 / 97 minutes / Video / Colour

Language
English/Japanese
Subtitles
English/Japanese
Director
Yumiko Hayakawa

Trailer

Synopsis

Brian & Co. Parliament Square SW1 is a documentary film by Japanese film-maker Yumiko Hayakawa. The film details life in and around Brian Haw's peace campaign in Parliament Square, London. Filmed over the course of one and a half years, the film captures this legendary peace campaign through interviews with Brian, his supporters, former Labour MP Tony Benn and UK/Japanese peace campaigners. The film also sheds light on how freedom of speech is threatened in the UK and people's imaginative and unrelenting ways of defending their rights.

The Story of Brian and Parliament Square

Brian Haw is a long-serving peace campaigner who has been campaigning in Parliament Square, London, opposite the Houses of Parliament. His campaign began on 2nd June 2001 after the Gulf War to highlight the effect of sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United Nations. Initially Brian campaigned with one placard that read, "Stop Killing Kids. Make Peace not War. Let Iraq Infants Live". Over time Brian set up a small area to sleep and and created new banners and placards. His supporters and various passers-by from around the world also donated their placards, poems, works of art and even teddy bears. Eventually they created a huge pro-peace display that extended forty metres along Parliament Square.

In 2005, the UK government passed a law (the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005) which included legislation specifically aimed at removing Brian and his display from Parliament Square. On 23rd May 2006, seventy eight police removed almost all of Brian's display and applied strict conditions on his demonstration.

The removal of the display prompted two of Brian's supporters to give up their jobs and daily lives to become permanent residents of Parliament Square. A variety of supporters have also spent long periods of time living in the square to help maintain the peace campaign. Many others have donated their spare time attending the campaign whenever they can.

The Parliament Square peace campaign is now known around the world. In 2006 Brian's original display was re-created by Mark Wallinger and displayed in Tate Britain for several months, before touring Europe. Brian himself has appeared in many television interviews and also won the 2007 Channel 4 award for most inspiring political figure.

To this day, Brian and his supporters are still living on the pavement in Parliament Square. The campaign has extended beyond its original cause and now includes subjects such as the second invasion of Iraq, the invasion of Afghanistan, depleted uranium and the erosion of civil liberties within the UK via SOCPA and various anti-terror legislation.
(Written by Paul Wright, February 2009)

R.I.P. Brian Haw

On the 18th June 2011 it was sadly announced that Brian Haw had died after a long battle against cancer. Brian stared in my first documentary film, "Brian & Co. Parliament Square SW1". I learnt a lot about Brian while making the film, his dedication to end war and bring peace to the world was unbreakable. I was also privileged to witness Brian's amazing sense of humour, after all of the years he spent sleeping in Parliament Square, he was still able to make us laugh with his stories and observational humour. He will be deeply missed - R.I.P. Brian Haw.
(Message by Yumiko Hayakawa, 19th June 2011)

Stills

Credits

  • Main characters

    Brian Haw
    Barbara Tucker
    Maria Gallastegui
    C.N. Easton (a.k.a. Bunny)
    Carolyn Emmerson
    Aya Shiino

  • Director/filming

    Yumiko Hayakawa

  • Additional filming

    Paul Wright
    Brian Haw

  • Stills

    rikki (indymedia.org.uk)
    Terence Bunch
    Barbara Tucker
    Paul Wright
    Milan Hajsinek
    Silvie Koanda
    Yumiko Hayakawa

  • Editing

    Yumiko Hayakawa
    Paul Wright

  • Music

    "Passing Through"
    YANEKA (fish for music)

    "Free"
    YANEKA (fish for music)
    Guest musicians: Goran Mansson, Petter Berndalen

    "Theme De Restaurant De Roi"
    Composed by Takayuki Hattori
    Performed by Hiroshima University Affiliated Junior High and High School Orchestral Club
    Recorded by Yumiko Hayakawa on 6th August 2008 (A-bomb Day) in Hiroshima

    "Theme Brian & Co. Parliament Square SW1"
    "Unfinished Doodle"
    Paul Wright

  • Narration

    Yumiko Hayakawa
    Maria Gallastegui

  • Title

    Brian Haw

  • Japanese Subtitles

    Hinako Yoshida
    Rie Hiramatsu
    Michiyo Watanabe

  • English Subtitles

    Paul Wright
    Yumiko Hayakawa

  • Poster design

    Yoshiki Tomita

Festivals

Domestic

  • Awa Peace Film Festival (2010)
  • Mitaka Peace Film Festival (2010)
  • Aichi Peace Film Festival (2010)
  • Tama Cinema Forum, Tama New Wave (2009)
  • Kyoto University International Sit-in Film Festival (2009)
  • Wakuwaku Narashino Film Festival (2009)
  • Okayama Film Festival (2009)
  • Shintoku Kuusonomori Film Festival (2009)
  • Nagaoka Asian Film Festival (2009)
  • Aichi International Women's Film Festival (2009)
  • Anti-war, Resistance Documentary Film Festival in Okinawa (2009)
  • Hiroshima Peace Film Festival (2009)
  • Shure University International Film Festival (2009)
  • Toyonaka Peace Film Festival (2009)
  • Fukuoka Asian Film Festival (2009)
  • Awa Peace Film Festival (2009)

International

  • Portobello Film Festival (2009, UK)
  • International 1001 Documentary Film Festival (2009, Turkey)