Hot Shots 2025: Kwabena Oppong

Rare is the TV documentary that merits a theatrical release, but Backlash: The Murder Of George Floyd (BBC2) is an example of factual programming with broad impact. It documents the recent flux in race relations both in the UK and the US, with The Guardian commenting that it “provides a timely recap, and a human scale to one of the most momentous events in modern history”. The Times praised it as “a powerful and thoughtful documentary”.

It is the work of London-based Kwabena Oppong, who drew upon his 15 years of factual and documentary experience to construct the 90-minute film for Rogan Productions.

“It’s inspiring to watch Kwabena tackle such challenging subject matter while maintaining a calm, measured and focused approach in crafting his films,” say managing director and chief creative officer Soleta and James Rogan. “He is always stretching to make propulsive films that say something about the world.”

Oppong’s niche is retrospective storytelling that covers themes of race, identity and justice – often drawing on his ability to get the best from interviewees. That was certainly seen in the revealing Linford (BBC), in which sport star Linford Christie opened up about the racism he experienced throughout his career.

With a background in producing – Swamp Kings (Netflix); Mo Gilligan: Black, British And Funny (C4) – the depth of Oppong’s film-making is matched by the breadth of his skills. “He’s as comfortable developing, casting, edit producing and producing as he is directing,” say the Rogans.

The Final: Attack On Wembley, about the storming of Wembley Stadium during England’s Euros final, which Oppong co-directed, was his first collaboration with Rogan Productions in 2023. Given the success of his recent docs, it’s likely their fruitful partnership will continue.