Will Smith’s Newest Movie, ‘Emancipation,’ Had Its First Screening

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The premiere of Antoine Fuqua’s movie Emancipation was held by Apple. The movie “Powerful,” which is being hailed as a “powerful” picture and is a candidate for awards season, stars Will Smith as Peter, an oppressed man seeking liberation. In time for award season, the historical thriller Emancipation reportedly got its first private showing on Saturday. The NAACP and Apple Original Films, co-hosted a screening of the film during the 51st annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, DC, after winning the movie’s rights in a world record-breaking auction.

A small number of members of the Black community were invited to the screening in addition to Fuqua, the film’s director, and Smith, who plays the major character. The Congressional Black Caucus, the Divine 9 (Historically Black Fraternities and Sororities), the National Council of Negro Women, the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, Power Rising, and #WinWithBlack Women were a few of these organizations. Although Apple has not yet announced a date for the movie’s formal release, it is anticipated that the movie will be available in time for award season. Emancipation was a strong candidate until Smith’s ten-year Academy expulsion for hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars, for which he reportedly expressed regret in July.

Smith discussed the significance of the movie in his first remarks made in front of the public at the post-screening conference. “Throughout my career, I’ve declined a lot of movies that, um, were about slavery. Smith spoke openly to the audience about his decision to join the production and stated, “I never wanted to portray us like that, you know, and then this picture came along and this is not a film about slavery. The theme of this movie is freedom. This movie is about perseverance. You understand this movie is about faith. It’s a movie about a man’s heart, or you might call it the origin of the viral picture.

Will Smith's Newest Movie, 'Emancipation,' Had Its First Screening 2

The violent vision to which Smith is alluding served as the inspiration for William N. Collage’s screenplay. The 1863 image depicts “Beaten Peter” (also known as Gordon) and the severe scarring on his back that resulted from being whipped when he was a slave. Smith said, adding that the image had a profound impact on him, “Cameras had just been invented and the image of Whipped Peter spread across the world and was a rallying cry against slavery. I wanted to be able to tell you this narrative in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could since it had erupted and grown within me.

Social media users have already praised the movie for being significant to the Black community. Derrick Johnson, the President and CEO of the NAACP, stated on Twitter, “I had the privilege of witnessing the film #Emancipation and can’t begin to convey how impactful this is for OUR community and OUR history.” “It is a tale of hardship, perseverance, love, and victory. We appreciate Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith sharing their talents. Many of the people who watched the film agreed with his remarks. “Emancipation is a compelling tale that is not just anchored in our past but also our tenacity as a people,” wrote Angela T. Rye.

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