Daisy Ifama discusses her documentary about why graffiti was emblazoned outside the Bethlem royal, a psychiatric hospital in south London
Our latest release on the Guardian Documentary strand is RIP SENI, a film about an event in June 2020 when graffiti reading RIP SENI appeared emblazoned across a public artwork outside the Bethlem royal hospital, a psychiatric hospital in south London. The spray-painted letters drew attention to Olaseni Lewis, a 23-year-old black man who died after being restrained by 11 police officers while in the care of the hospital in 2010. This film follows what happened after the graffiti, as it launches a discussion about race, mental health and injustice in the UK, and the effects on families.
The director, Daisy Ifama, is a film-maker based in south London. She answered some questions about this new short documentary, which she hopes can continue all the conversation threads that came from that graffiti, and exist as a dedication to those who have lost their lives at the hands of the state.