Till

Tosin Cole was larking about on the set of the Warner Bros House Party reboot in Los Angeles when an email dropped from casting director Kim Coleman ( BlacKkKlansman ) about Emmett Till ’s story. “I was like, ‘I’m filming for months non stop, I want to go home,’ ” he recalls thinking. “They wanted me to go for Medgar Evers , and I was like, ‘I don’t know who that is. Let me think about it.’ “ His agent brought him up short telling him, “No, you got to do it. At least send a tape.” “I was like, ‘I’m doing night shifts in LA. I don’t know when I’ll have time,’ ” he worried. That’s when Barbara Broccoli, an executive producer of UAR’s Till , zinged him a message saying, “We’d love to have you on board, if you can.” That missive sharpened Cole’s mind. Besides overseeing the James Bond universe with Michael G. Wilson, Broccoli’s active in theater and independent film production. She supported Debbie Tucker Green’s play Ear for Eye when it played London’s … [Read more...] about ‘Till’ Star Tosin Cole: From Larking About In The ‘House Party’ Reboot To Portraying A Civil Rights Legend

Chinonye Chukwu , director of Till , is reacting to the Oscar snub after her film was not nominated at the Academy Awards . In addition, Danielle Deadwyle was left out of the Best Actress nominations for her portrayal of Mamie Till-Mobley, the activist looking for justice after the murder of her son Emmett Till. “We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” Chukwu posted on Instagram. She continued, “And alas. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.” Chukwu was not the only one that reacted to the Oscar snub. Whoopi Goldberg shared on The View her thoughts after Till was not mentioned during the announcements this morning. “Before we start … [Read more...] about ‘Till’ Director Chinonye Chukwu Calls Out ‘Unabashed Misogyny Towards Black Women’ After Oscar Snub

Hello and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen podcast , and I am your host, Valerie Complex. Sorry for not posting last week, but the Sundance Film Festival was brutal and couldn’t get an episode out in time. Today’s guest is Till star Jalyn Hall . At 15 years old, Hall has already developed a following as fan favorite on the uber-popular CW series All American , where he has played Dillon James since 2018. Segueing into film, he turned in a groundbreaking performance portraying civil rights icon Emmett Till in MGM/Orion Pictures’ Till , which hit theaters in October. The film, an biographical drama written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu , also stars Danielle Deadwyler and Whoopi Goldberg, who also produced the film. It tells the real-life story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler), an educator and activist who pursues justice after the 1955 lynching of her 14-year-old son Emmett. In addition to Till , Hall recently wrapped production on the new Disney+ series The … [Read more...] about Scene 2 Seen Podcast: Jalyn Hall Discusses What He Learned From Playing Emmett Till

Getty Emmett Till 's family is saddened and stunned the Motion Picture Academy overlooked the film about this tragic and pivotal story in American history ... and it did so in every Oscar category. Emmett's cousin and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, Deborah Watts , tells TMZ ... the family is extremely disappointed the movie "Till" and its lead actress Danielle Deadwyler -- who plays Emmett's mom -- received zero nominations. Deborah says Danielle "embodied and delivered the true essence of our cousin, a loving and courageous mother, Mamie Till Mobley . She reached deeply and poured her heart and soul in this role as she embraced us intimately like no other, while transforming into Mamie and bringing her true essence and story to life." As you know, the film tells the story of Emmett's 1955 abduction and lynching in Mississippi ... which sent shockwaves across the nation when a photo of his brutally beaten body was made public. … [Read more...] about Emmett Till’s Family Saddened Over Oscars Snub For Movie ‘Till’

EXCLUSIVE : Paul Ben-Victor ( Plane ) and Mercedes Varnado ( The Mandalorian ) are the newest additions to the cast of the action-thriller The Collective from Yale Entertainment . They join a cast that also includes Lucas Till, Ruby Rose, Tyrese Gibson, and Don Johnson, as previously announced. In the recently-wrapped film from director Tom DeNucci, a group of righteous assassins called The Collective take aim at a highly sophisticated human trafficking ring backed by a network of untouchable billionaires. With their backs against the wall, The Collective has no choice but to put their most important mission in the hands of rookie assassin, Sam Alexander (Till). What he lacks in experience he makes up for in savvy, grit, and a keen ability to improvise in the most dangerous situations. He is aided on his journey by Hugo (Gibson) and Liam (Johnson), former CIA operatives turned rogue vigilantes. They face off against Daisy (Rose), the cunning general manager of this … [Read more...] about Paul Ben-Victor & Mercedes Varnado Join Yale Entertainment’s Action-Thriller ‘The Collective’

The African American Film Critics Association on Monday revealed winners of its 14th annual AAFCA Awards honoring the best in film. The Woman King , Till , Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery each won a pair of awards. Among the honors, The Woman King was named the year’s best picture, with the film’s Gina Prince-Bythewood named best director. Danielle Deadwyler ( Till ) and Jeremy Pope ( The Inspection ) were named best actress and actor. Angela Bassett ( Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ) and Brian Tyree Henry ( Causeway ) won the supporting prizes. Special achievement honorees include Till , which received the Impact Award, and Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith receiving the Beacon Award for Emancipation . “AAFCA is deeply honored to recognize some of the most captivating films and performances of the year,” said AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson. “These thought-provoking stories of strength, determination … [Read more...] about AAFCA Awards Winners List Includes Angela Bassett, Jeremy Pope & Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘The Woman King’

Suffice it to say that Avatar: The Way of Water commanded the Visual Effects Society ’s attention. James Cameron box office-smash sequel scored a record 14 nominations for the 2023 VES Awards , which were announced today. Helped by three noms in the Emerging Technology category, Disney’s The Way of Water topped the single-year noms haul by Disney+’s The Mandalorian in 2021. It also shattered the old high-water mark for films, set by — no big surprise here — the original Avatar, which amassed 11 noms in 2010. The hardware will be doled out at the 21st annual VES Awards on Wednesday, February 15, at The Beverly Hilton. Avatar: The Way of Water will vie for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature — the category that hews closest to the Visual Effects Oscar — against Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick , the film right behind the Avatar sequel on the 2022 list of top … [Read more...] about VES Awards Nominations: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Smashes Records With 14 Noms From Visual Effects Society

Broadway has found its Michael Jackson : Tony-nominated Ain’t Too Proud star Ephraim Sykes will take the title role in the upcoming MJ The Musical , producers announced today. The musical, loaded with classic hits by the later King of Pop, will begin preview performances on Monday, July 6, 2020, at the Neil Simon Theatre, with an opening night set for Thursday, August 13. The casting announcement was made by p roducers Lia Vollack and The Michael Jackson Estate. Producers have released a sneak peek teaser video – watch it below. Sykes is currently on Broadway in another Motown-inspired musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations , playing the group’s David Ruffin. He was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award yesterday for the show’s cast album, along with the rest of the original cast. “Ephraim Sykes is a bonafide triple threat,” said Wheeldon in a statement, “and dynamic rising star on Broadway. I am honored to be working with him on … [Read more...] about Broadway’s Michael Jackson Musical Finds Its King Of Pop: ‘Ain’t Too Proud’s Ephraim Sykes To Moonwalk

Netflix’s wartime epic All Quiet On The Western Front leads the 2023 BAFTA film awards with what new BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip described as an “extraordinary” haul of nominations across craft and performance categories. The German-language film nabbed 14 nominations, the most BAFTA noms for an individual film since The King’s Speech in 2011, which also had 14. Millichip, who this year oversees her first Film Awards as BAFTA CEO, said the film’s success represents the “mesmerizing” range of this year’s nominations as well as the films that can now be embraced by BAFTA voters. “I think that the breadth of storytelling is really interesting,” Millichip said. “So you have big commercial films like Elvis , which has nine nominations, and then indie films like Aftersun . There is also 40% ethnic diversity in our nominees.” All Quiet’s haul also matches the previous record set by Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for the most nominations for a non-English … [Read more...] about BAFTA Heads Jane Millichip & Emma Baehr On An “Extraordinary” Nominations Outcome, Spielberg & Diversity

Magnolia Pictures acquired worldwide rights to Kokomo City , the feature directorial debut of two-time Grammy-nominated producer/singer/songwriter D. Smith, who made history as the first trans woman cast on a primetime unscripted TV show. Smith also filmed and edited this wildly entertaining and refreshingly unfiltered documentary that passes the mic to four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City – Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver – as they hold nothing back while breaking down the walls of their profession. The film, executive produced by Lena Waithe, played in the Next Section and will next screen at Berlin Panorama. Magnolia will release the film theatrically this year. They burned the midnight oil on this one, with negotiations lasting till the wee hours. “Kokomo City is a miraculous cinematic debut by D. Smith,” said Magnolia Pictures President Eamonn Bowles. “Hilarious, revelatory, and wildly entertaining, and … [Read more...] about Magnolia Bags WW Rights To Sundance Docu ‘Kokomo City’ On Black Transgender Sex Workers