Last modified on Fri 18 Dec 2020 03.15 EST
How does a playwright attempt to sum up 2020 in five minutes?
The answer, for James Graham, is with a musical short film, shot in lockdown, featuring a community choir and a Macedonian orchestra. Entitled We Begin Again, the film – a collaboration with the Guardian in partnership with the National Theatre – is released online on Thursday.
Graham and composer Jim Fortune decided they wanted to create something anthemic and uplifting, a balm at the end of a torrid year of Covid-19 restrictions and Brexit uncertainty. Tapping into the momentum of climate crisis protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, Graham wanted to look forward to the possibilities of 2021, as well as acknowledge the damage that has been done this year.