Emmett Till and His Mother’s Fight for Justice in ‘Till’ Movie Trailer

Emmett Till and His Mother’s Fight for Justice in ‘Till’ Movie Trailer

by Alex Billington
July 25, 2022
Source: YouTube

“The lynching of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all.” UA + Orion Pictures have debuted the first official trailer for a movie titled Till, telling the story of Emmett’s lynching and his mother’s fight for justice. A sad story, but one that must be told. See the never-before-told story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s quest for justice for her son, Emmett. Till was abducted, tortured, and lynched in Mississippi back in 1955 at the age of 14. Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu refuses to show that brutality, instead focusing on the story of love between a mother and her son. “I hope viewers will empathize with the humanities on screen and see our present cultural and political realities within this film. And I hope that Mamie’s story helps us all to realize the power within ourselves to continue to fight for the change we want to see in the world, just as she did.” The film stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie, Jalyn Hall as Emmett, with Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg. It looks like an extraordinarily emotional and very moving film about this horrible racist event in America’s history.

Here’s the first official trailer (+ poster) for Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, direct from MGM’s YouTube:

“When I was approached to write and direct a story about Emmett Till, I found myself drawn to a singular figure at the center of his orbit. I saw an opportunity to subvert expectations and approach the narrative through another lens – from the maternal point of view of Mamie Till Mobley. Had it not been for Mamie, her son’s memory would have evaporated into thin air. She was the catalyst for a modern day civil rights movement that has laid a formidable framework for future activists and Freedom Fighters. I felt compelled to champion Mamie’s legacy and center her in the spotlight where she rightfully belongs.”

“The crux of this story is not about the traumatic, physical violence inflicted upon Emmett – which is why I refused to depict such brutality in the film – but it is about Mamie’s remarkable journey in the aftermath. She is grounded by the love for her child, for at its core, Till is a love story. Amidst the inherent pain and heartbreak, it was critical for me to ground their affection throughout the film. The cinematic language and tone of Till was deeply rooted in the balance between loss in the absence of love; the inconsolable grief in the absence of joy; and the embrace of Black life alongside the heart wrenching loss of a child.”
– Chinonye Chukwu

Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother’s ability to change the world. Till is directed by acclaimed Nigerian-American filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu, director of the films alaskaLand and Clemency previously, as well as a few other short films. The screenplay is written by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu. Produced by Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly, and Frederick Zollo. This hasn’t premiered at any festivals or elsewhere, as far as we know. Orion + UA will debut Chukwu’s Till movie in theaters exclusively starting on October 14th, 2022 this fall. Look any good? Who’s intrigued by this?

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