I spent the first 37 years of my life on the East Coast, and even there, I knew who Sam Rubin was.
The beloved Ktla Los Angeles entertainment reporter, who died May 10 at age 64, was a Hollywood fixture for over 30 years, beloved, trusted and respected. Drawing heartfelt tributes ranging from industry veterans like Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler and rising stars like Charmaine Bingwa, I’ve never seen such an outpouring for an entertainment journalist since perhaps Roger Ebert in 2013. Sam greeted everyone with the same infectious enthusiasm and genuine curiosity, whether they were industry stalwarts or nervous newcomers. He was synonymous with Los Angeles but he was also known well outside of Southern California through his reporting for ITV and Australia’s 9 Network.
I was fortunate to spend time with Sam off-camera, serving with him on the board of the Critics Choice organization. On my first trip to Los...
The beloved Ktla Los Angeles entertainment reporter, who died May 10 at age 64, was a Hollywood fixture for over 30 years, beloved, trusted and respected. Drawing heartfelt tributes ranging from industry veterans like Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler and rising stars like Charmaine Bingwa, I’ve never seen such an outpouring for an entertainment journalist since perhaps Roger Ebert in 2013. Sam greeted everyone with the same infectious enthusiasm and genuine curiosity, whether they were industry stalwarts or nervous newcomers. He was synonymous with Los Angeles but he was also known well outside of Southern California through his reporting for ITV and Australia’s 9 Network.
I was fortunate to spend time with Sam off-camera, serving with him on the board of the Critics Choice organization. On my first trip to Los...
- 5/13/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Danielle Brooks and Jeffrey Wright were among the Academy Award nominees who stepped out for the 2024 Women in Film Oscar Nominees Party!
The Best Supporting Actress nom and the Best Actor nom joined a bunch of celebs at the event on Friday night (March 8) at Catch Steak in Los Angeles.
Other nominees in attendance included Past Lives director and screenwriter Celine Song and Flamin’ Hot‘s “The Fire Inside” songwriter Diane Warren, who was joined by the film’s producer Eva Longoria.
Celebs who supported the nominees included Lili Reinhart, Kathryn Newton, Abigail Spencer and many more.
Wif CEO Kirsten Schaffer talked about fighting for equality in Hollywood during her speech at the event.
“New reports from UCLA, USC and Reframe released in the past few weeks illuminate the backslide of representation in front of and behind the camera. That, combined with a cultural and political backlash women, transgender people...
The Best Supporting Actress nom and the Best Actor nom joined a bunch of celebs at the event on Friday night (March 8) at Catch Steak in Los Angeles.
Other nominees in attendance included Past Lives director and screenwriter Celine Song and Flamin’ Hot‘s “The Fire Inside” songwriter Diane Warren, who was joined by the film’s producer Eva Longoria.
Celebs who supported the nominees included Lili Reinhart, Kathryn Newton, Abigail Spencer and many more.
Wif CEO Kirsten Schaffer talked about fighting for equality in Hollywood during her speech at the event.
“New reports from UCLA, USC and Reframe released in the past few weeks illuminate the backslide of representation in front of and behind the camera. That, combined with a cultural and political backlash women, transgender people...
- 3/9/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Sebastian Stan and Samara Weaving are among the stars who are celebrating the arts with the Aussies!
The two stars were in attendance at the 2024 G’Day USA Arts Gala on Thursday (February 1) in Los Angeles.
Samara was one of three honorees at the event along with director Craig Gillespie and singer Delta Goodrem. Sebastian was there to help honor Craig, who he worked with on the movies I, Tonya and Dumb Money, as well as the series Pam & Tommy.
The Arts Gala showcases an optimistic community of creators, built on two decades of energetic exchange. Funds raised from the event will support the American Australian Association and its Arts Fund, allowing the next generation of trailblazers to soar.
More stars in attendance included Chrishell Stause and G-Flip, Bella Heathcote, and more.
Head inside to see more of the attendees…
Keep scrolling to see more attendees…
Sebastian Stan
Samara...
The two stars were in attendance at the 2024 G’Day USA Arts Gala on Thursday (February 1) in Los Angeles.
Samara was one of three honorees at the event along with director Craig Gillespie and singer Delta Goodrem. Sebastian was there to help honor Craig, who he worked with on the movies I, Tonya and Dumb Money, as well as the series Pam & Tommy.
The Arts Gala showcases an optimistic community of creators, built on two decades of energetic exchange. Funds raised from the event will support the American Australian Association and its Arts Fund, allowing the next generation of trailblazers to soar.
More stars in attendance included Chrishell Stause and G-Flip, Bella Heathcote, and more.
Head inside to see more of the attendees…
Keep scrolling to see more attendees…
Sebastian Stan
Samara...
- 2/2/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
King Shaka is not coming to Showtime after all. The cable channel cancelled the new series as it was nearing the end of production. Those behind the series plan to shop it to other outlets.
Starring Charmaine Bingwa, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Aïssa Maïga, Thando Dlomo, Tony Kgoroge, Sindi Dlatu, and Bahle Hadebe, King Shaka, formerly known as Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation, revolves around “the Zulu Empire founder Shaka (Babalola) and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of southern Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend, on par with history’s most seminal figures.”
Read More…...
Starring Charmaine Bingwa, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Aïssa Maïga, Thando Dlomo, Tony Kgoroge, Sindi Dlatu, and Bahle Hadebe, King Shaka, formerly known as Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation, revolves around “the Zulu Empire founder Shaka (Babalola) and his unlikely rise to power, uniting multiple tribes across vast stretches of southern Africa in the early 19th century to transform his power into legend, on par with history’s most seminal figures.”
Read More…...
- 4/4/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
“King Shaka” will no longer be moving forward at Showtime, TheWrap has confirmed.
Though production on the series, which follows the sweeping story of the Zulu Kingdom founder and his unlikely rise to power, will not continue, most filming on the epic event series is complete, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap, with the final episode mostly filmed. CBS Studios is set to explore other options for the project’s distribution.
The news marks the latest series to not continue at Showtime as the network prepares to merge with Paramount+. Other impacted projects include “Three Women,” which recently found a new home at Starz, and “Ripley,” which landed at Netflix.
Also Read:
‘Shaka: King of The Zulu Nation’ Drama Series From Antoine Fuqua Ordered at Showtime
Charles Babalola stars as the titular Zulu king in the series, which was originally ordered in 2021, alongside additional cast members Thapelo Mokoenaas, Warren Masemola,...
Though production on the series, which follows the sweeping story of the Zulu Kingdom founder and his unlikely rise to power, will not continue, most filming on the epic event series is complete, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap, with the final episode mostly filmed. CBS Studios is set to explore other options for the project’s distribution.
The news marks the latest series to not continue at Showtime as the network prepares to merge with Paramount+. Other impacted projects include “Three Women,” which recently found a new home at Starz, and “Ripley,” which landed at Netflix.
Also Read:
‘Shaka: King of The Zulu Nation’ Drama Series From Antoine Fuqua Ordered at Showtime
Charles Babalola stars as the titular Zulu king in the series, which was originally ordered in 2021, alongside additional cast members Thapelo Mokoenaas, Warren Masemola,...
- 4/3/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
The Showtime limited series “King Shaka” is no longer moving forward at the premium cabler, Variety has confirmed.
The series tells the story of the titular Zulu king, who will be played by Charles Babalola. According to an individual with knowledge of the production, filming had been mostly completed on the historical epic series and Showtime and producer CBS Studios plan to shop it to other outlets.
This marks the latest completed series to be moved off Showtime as the network prepares to be merged with Paramount+. The drama “Three Women” recently left Showtime only to be picked up by Starz. Likewise, “Ripley” starring Andrew Scott moved to Netflix after originally being ordered at Showtime.
“King Shaka” was originally ordered to series in 2021. Along with Babalola, the cast for the series includes Thapelo Mokoenaas, Warren Masemola, Aïssa Maïga, Thando DIomo, Charmaine Bingwa, and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe.
“King Shaka” is created and...
The series tells the story of the titular Zulu king, who will be played by Charles Babalola. According to an individual with knowledge of the production, filming had been mostly completed on the historical epic series and Showtime and producer CBS Studios plan to shop it to other outlets.
This marks the latest completed series to be moved off Showtime as the network prepares to be merged with Paramount+. The drama “Three Women” recently left Showtime only to be picked up by Starz. Likewise, “Ripley” starring Andrew Scott moved to Netflix after originally being ordered at Showtime.
“King Shaka” was originally ordered to series in 2021. Along with Babalola, the cast for the series includes Thapelo Mokoenaas, Warren Masemola, Aïssa Maïga, Thando DIomo, Charmaine Bingwa, and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe.
“King Shaka” is created and...
- 4/3/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Showtime has axed King Shaka, its upcoming epic drama series executive produced by Antoine Fuqua, which tells the sweeping story of the Zulu Empire founder.
It marks the latest new series to be canned at the network before it has aired amid a programming overhaul at Showtime, which is being merged with sister streamer Paramount+ and will be renamed as Paramount+ with Showtime.
While King Shaka will not run on Showtime, the premium network is working on multiple other drama projects with diverse storytelling as part of recently announced three main programming lanes, including a project from The Chi showrunner Justin Hillian; Panda, from Fresh Off the Boat’s Eddie Huang; and Quiet in Her Bones, from writer Aminta Goyel.
Showtime also plans to add diversity to the Billions franchise as it is undergoing expansion with spinoffs.
Deadline understands that King Shaka, which is being headlined by Charles Babalola,...
It marks the latest new series to be canned at the network before it has aired amid a programming overhaul at Showtime, which is being merged with sister streamer Paramount+ and will be renamed as Paramount+ with Showtime.
While King Shaka will not run on Showtime, the premium network is working on multiple other drama projects with diverse storytelling as part of recently announced three main programming lanes, including a project from The Chi showrunner Justin Hillian; Panda, from Fresh Off the Boat’s Eddie Huang; and Quiet in Her Bones, from writer Aminta Goyel.
Showtime also plans to add diversity to the Billions franchise as it is undergoing expansion with spinoffs.
Deadline understands that King Shaka, which is being headlined by Charles Babalola,...
- 4/3/2023
- by Peter White and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Winners and special honorees were celebrated at the 14th Annual Aafca Awards at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on March 1. Prior to the festivities, Gold Derby associate editor Latasha Ford caught up with a few of the night’s presenters and honorees on the red carpet.
Watch her chats with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler, Aafca President and Co-Founder Gil Robertson, “Emancipation” star Charmaine Bingwa, “Double Cross” star Ashley A. Williams, “Black Beauty Effect” executive producer C.J. Faison, Amazon Studios Head of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Latasha Gillespie and “Till” star Jalyn Hall above.
“The Woman King,” “Till,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” each won two Aafca Awards with “The Woman King” taking Best Picture and Best Director for Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Till” for Best Actress (Danielle Deadwyler) and the Emerging Face award (Hall), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever...
Watch her chats with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler, Aafca President and Co-Founder Gil Robertson, “Emancipation” star Charmaine Bingwa, “Double Cross” star Ashley A. Williams, “Black Beauty Effect” executive producer C.J. Faison, Amazon Studios Head of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Latasha Gillespie and “Till” star Jalyn Hall above.
“The Woman King,” “Till,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” each won two Aafca Awards with “The Woman King” taking Best Picture and Best Director for Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Till” for Best Actress (Danielle Deadwyler) and the Emerging Face award (Hall), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever...
- 3/3/2023
- by Latasha Ford and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Los Angeles, March 2 (Ians) Hollywood star Will Smith returned to awards season festivities, taking the stage to accept the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards (Aafca).
It marked Smith’s first in-person speech at an awards ceremony since controversy at the 2022 Oscars, in which the actor slapped Chris Rock onstage, reports ‘Variety’.
Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ co-star Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the historical drama’s director, early in the evening’s ceremony. After Fuqua’s minute-long thanks to Aafca, Apple TV+ and the film’s cast and crew, Smith took the microphone to recount the production of the film.
‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true,” Smith joked, earning laughs from the crowd.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene...
It marked Smith’s first in-person speech at an awards ceremony since controversy at the 2022 Oscars, in which the actor slapped Chris Rock onstage, reports ‘Variety’.
Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ co-star Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the historical drama’s director, early in the evening’s ceremony. After Fuqua’s minute-long thanks to Aafca, Apple TV+ and the film’s cast and crew, Smith took the microphone to recount the production of the film.
‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true,” Smith joked, earning laughs from the crowd.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene...
- 3/2/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Will Smith made his first in-person speech tonight at an awards ceremony since the 2022 Oscars incident with Chris Rock.
Smith accepted the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. His Emancipation costar Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the film’s director.
After a brief speech by Fuqua, Smith took the stage.
Smith said Emancipation meant so much to him, and thanked the people and companies that supported it being made.
“I want to thank Gil and Aafca. I want to thank all of you in this room for doing what you do, keeping our stories alive. I want to thank Apple, because the budget was one thing. And then the budget was another thing. And then the budget was another thing. And Apple never flinched,” Smith said. “It was the first time I had heard from a studio that...
Smith accepted the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. His Emancipation costar Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the film’s director.
After a brief speech by Fuqua, Smith took the stage.
Smith said Emancipation meant so much to him, and thanked the people and companies that supported it being made.
“I want to thank Gil and Aafca. I want to thank all of you in this room for doing what you do, keeping our stories alive. I want to thank Apple, because the budget was one thing. And then the budget was another thing. And then the budget was another thing. And Apple never flinched,” Smith said. “It was the first time I had heard from a studio that...
- 3/2/2023
- by Pete Hammond and Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Will Smith returned to awards season festivities Wednesday evening, taking the stage to accept the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. The speech marked Smith’s first in-person speech at an awards ceremony since his controversy at the 2022 Oscars, in which the actor slapped Chris Rock onstage.
Smith’s “Emancipation” costar Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the historical drama’s director, early in the evening’s ceremony. After Fuqua’s minute-long thanks to Aafca, Apple TV+ and the film’s cast and crew, Smith took the microphone to recount the production of the film.
“‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true,” Smith joked, earning laughs from the crowd.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene with one of the white actors.
Smith’s “Emancipation” costar Charmaine Bingwa and Aafca cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the historical drama’s director, early in the evening’s ceremony. After Fuqua’s minute-long thanks to Aafca, Apple TV+ and the film’s cast and crew, Smith took the microphone to recount the production of the film.
“‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true,” Smith joked, earning laughs from the crowd.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene with one of the white actors.
- 3/2/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy and Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Apple TV+’s movie Emancipation tells the story of Peter (Will Smith), a runaway slave trying to make it to Baton Rouge after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Charmaine Bingwa plays Dodienne, Peter’s enslaved wife and mother to his children.
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Bingwa revealed the toughest scenes to film.
“You know I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I won’t lie that all of the scenes were tough to play, certainly from Dodienne,” she said. “She never has a minute to rest or of reprieve in this film and not many people do and unfortunately that was just the nature of the times but, you know, it’s really important to revisit history as a warning. There’s a lot going on in the world and just to remind us of where hatred can lead us to.”
Bingwa also talked about her...
In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Bingwa revealed the toughest scenes to film.
“You know I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I won’t lie that all of the scenes were tough to play, certainly from Dodienne,” she said. “She never has a minute to rest or of reprieve in this film and not many people do and unfortunately that was just the nature of the times but, you know, it’s really important to revisit history as a warning. There’s a lot going on in the world and just to remind us of where hatred can lead us to.”
Bingwa also talked about her...
- 2/14/2023
- by Hailey Schipper
- Uinterview
The 23rd annual Black Reel Awards took place Monday, February 6th, with “The Woman King” leading the field, snagging six awards including Best Picture. BAFTA nominee Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s historical epic is inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was close behind with five wins.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
- 2/7/2023
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Photo: Charmaine Bingwa/Apple TV Dear President Janet Yang and the Academy Awards, Charmaine Bingwa. The uber-talented actress. The one who delivered a powerhouse performance starring alongside Will Smith in ‘Emancipation’. Remember that name when it comes to the 2023 Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress. I write this open letter with the utmost respect for the Academy Awards and Cinema. As a passionate Cinema lover, whose church happens to be the Oscars, I truly believe the Academy Awards give us all something to aspire to. It is the Academy Awards that encourages us to aim for the highest quality and paramount excellence in Cinema and not just box-office profits. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has...
- 1/22/2023
- by Pritan Ambroase
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Charmaine Bingwa had just finished a monologue on the set of Emancipation when she had a request for director Antoine Fuqua. Could she do the speech she had just done in English, but this time in Haitian Creole? He said yes. “If my characters speak in another language, but I don’t know it, I feel like a fraud,” Bingwa says. “So I just kind of took it upon myself [to learn the language].” That take, without subtitles, is the one that ended up in the drama starring Will Smith.
In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a character based on a man in a photograph commonly called “Whipped Peter” because of his scarred back. The movie traces Peter’s escape from slavery to find Union forces after learning that Abraham Lincoln has declared enslaved people free. Bingwa plays Peter’s wife, Dodienne. As he is pursued in Louisiana swamps, her faith tells her that her husband will return.
In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a character based on a man in a photograph commonly called “Whipped Peter” because of his scarred back. The movie traces Peter’s escape from slavery to find Union forces after learning that Abraham Lincoln has declared enslaved people free. Bingwa plays Peter’s wife, Dodienne. As he is pursued in Louisiana swamps, her faith tells her that her husband will return.
- 1/14/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“It’s always nice to be included,” declares “Emancipation” prosthetic makeup artist Christien Tinsley about his reaction to the film’s inclusion on the Oscar shortlist of 10 films vying for a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Tinsley is shortlisted alongside his colleagues makeup department head Ken Diaz, hair department head Andrea Bowman, and Judy Murdock and Pierce Austin, who respectively took charge of the makeup and hair for the film’s star Will Smith. For our recent webchat he adds, “I’m a huge fan of Ken Diaz. He’s been doing this for 40 plus years, and he’s been a colleague, a peer, a mentor. In a lot of ways, he was an inspiration when I was a child, uh, wanting to get into the business. So, to be working with Ken and then to be on the shortlist with him for the same film has been really spectacular for me.
- 1/11/2023
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
After a quiet time in Hollywood and elsewhere as celebrities and their families celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and even Festivus, the New Year has arrived with some big bangs, especially at the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, which has traditionally been the first stop on the party season ride into the Oscars (on March 12 this year). Earlier, the Rose Bowl Parade brought out “Yellowstone” breakout star and country singer Lainey Wilson riding on Louisiana’s award-winning float; and lots of beautiful people flocked to St. Barths for a Caribbean vacation and to help a worthy cause, too, at the LuisaViaRoma for Unicef Winter Gala.
Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala
Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs
Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell enjoy an emotional moment at the 2023 Psiff Awards in Palm Springs
Film lovers made their way to the California desert to help kick off...
Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala
Palm Springs Convention Center, Palm Springs
Colin Farrell and Sam Rockwell enjoy an emotional moment at the 2023 Psiff Awards in Palm Springs
Film lovers made their way to the California desert to help kick off...
- 1/6/2023
- by Jenny Peters
- The Wrap
“I was that cheerleader in the trailer to get them motivated, because we start the day early. We’re what I call the heartbeat of the film,” reveals hair department head Andrea Bowman about working on the historical action drama “Emancipation.” For our recent webchat she adds, “when I went to the premiere, I hadn’t seen any of the cast since we wrapped and that’s the first thing they were saying to me: ‘Thank you for being that support system for us to be able to embark on these characters and make us feel like we were special when we left, and we were able to get that stuff off of us to be able to come back the next day and be able to do it all over again.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua...
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua...
- 12/22/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I thought she was remarkable, how she was almost like this little oasis in this storm of harrowing things that were going on,” declares Charmaine Bingwa about portraying enslaved woman Dodienne, a fiercely loyal wife and dedicated mother in the historical action drama “Emancipation.” For our recent webchat she adds, “She really felt like the heartbeat of the film for me and was absolutely this magnet drawing him home. I had so much admiration for her bravery and her courage under fire. You know, once Peter is taken from her, she has to do everything to protect her family and she does.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by William N. Collage, based on the real-life story of former enslaved man Gordon (named “Peter” in the film) who posed for photographs of his bare back,...
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by William N. Collage, based on the real-life story of former enslaved man Gordon (named “Peter” in the film) who posed for photographs of his bare back,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Photo: Oscar worthy powerhouse performance by Charmaine Bingwa in 'Emancipation'
‘Emancipation’ broadens Will Smith’s filmography to a place that fans have yet to see the superstar in yet. Adapted from the famous photo titled ‘Whipped Peter’ that exposed the cruelty against American slaves that showed the world the severe scars on an ex-slave due to whipping, ‘Emancipation’ is a historical action drama telling the tale of a slave named Peter and his long journey escaping to freedom from a Louisiana plantation. The film takes an interesting plot change throughout. Going from a survival chase thriller to a historical war-epic once reaching the scene the film was adapted from, the film’s plot feels lackluster sometimes. Two of the big reasons for that are the long runtime of over two hours and the sense of no progress for the duration of the movie. The war section of the...
‘Emancipation’ broadens Will Smith’s filmography to a place that fans have yet to see the superstar in yet. Adapted from the famous photo titled ‘Whipped Peter’ that exposed the cruelty against American slaves that showed the world the severe scars on an ex-slave due to whipping, ‘Emancipation’ is a historical action drama telling the tale of a slave named Peter and his long journey escaping to freedom from a Louisiana plantation. The film takes an interesting plot change throughout. Going from a survival chase thriller to a historical war-epic once reaching the scene the film was adapted from, the film’s plot feels lackluster sometimes. Two of the big reasons for that are the long runtime of over two hours and the sense of no progress for the duration of the movie. The war section of the...
- 12/22/2022
- by Nino Vongphachanh
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Photo: Oscar worthy powerhouse performance by Charmaine Bingwa in 'Emancipation' ‘Emancipation’ broadens Will Smith’s filmography to a place that fans have yet to see the superstar in yet. Adapted from the famous photo titled ‘Whipped Peter’ that exposed the cruelty against American slaves that showed the world the severe scars on an ex-slave due to whipping, ‘Emancipation’ is a historical action drama telling the tale of a slave named Peter and his long journey escaping to freedom from a Louisiana plantation. The film takes an interesting plot change throughout. Going from a survival chase thriller to a historical war-epic once reaching the scene the film was adapted from, the film’s plot feels lackluster sometimes. Two of the big reasons for that are the long runtime of over two hours and the sense of no progress for the duration of the movie. The war section of the...
- 12/22/2022
- by Nino Vongphachanh
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Will Smith and Ben Foster in “Emancipation,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Courtesy of Apple Studios
An unrecognizable Will Smith stars as an enslaved man in Civil War era Louisiana, who decides upon hearing about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to escape from a labor camp through the bayou in an attempt to reach Union forces in Baton Rouge, in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation. Will Smith’s character was inspired by a real person, the man with the heavily scarred back in the famous Civil War photo, who really did escape slavery to reach an Union encampment. The photo, known as “Whipped Peter” or “the Scourged Back,” was widely circulated during the Civil War and was instrumental in convincing Northerners of the truth of the brutality of slavery.
Emancipation is a true-story inspired tale of the Civil War South without the mint juleps and “Gone with the Wind” fantasy. As the film opens,...
An unrecognizable Will Smith stars as an enslaved man in Civil War era Louisiana, who decides upon hearing about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to escape from a labor camp through the bayou in an attempt to reach Union forces in Baton Rouge, in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation. Will Smith’s character was inspired by a real person, the man with the heavily scarred back in the famous Civil War photo, who really did escape slavery to reach an Union encampment. The photo, known as “Whipped Peter” or “the Scourged Back,” was widely circulated during the Civil War and was instrumental in convincing Northerners of the truth of the brutality of slavery.
Emancipation is a true-story inspired tale of the Civil War South without the mint juleps and “Gone with the Wind” fantasy. As the film opens,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"I must get to my family." Apple TV has debuted a third & final trailer for Emancipation, which is now available to watch streaming on Apple TV+ after playing for a few weeks in limited theaters. The survival film stars Will Smith as Peter, a runaway slave who forges through the swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed him. Based on a true story - it's inspired by the 1863 photos of "Whipped Peter," taken during a Union Army medical examination. The ensemble includes Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Jabbar Lewis, Jayson Warner Smith, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten, and Imani Pullum. The film is now out to watch, they're dropping this trailer as one final reminder to give it a look. Can Will Smith make a comeback with this? Early reviews from the recent premiere haven't been too kind,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Plot: Peter (Will Smith) is an enslaved person forced to toil at a brutal Confederate Army Labor Camp. When he overhears that Abraham Lincoln has freed the slaves, he escapes the camp, bent on making his way to Lincoln’s army. However, he must not only navigate the treacherous Louisiana swamps but also evade a slave catcher (Ben Foster) who relentlessly pursues him.
Review: It’s a shame that Emancipation will only be seen via streaming, as director Antoine Fuqua made a big-budget epic that was clearly shot for the big screen and can only truly be appreciated if viewed in theatres. Apple has done the film no favours by only giving it a small theatrical run, and many will dismiss a movie that, no doubt, would be a much more immersive experience if viewed the way it was intended.
While generating a lot of comparisons to Twelve Years a Slave,...
Review: It’s a shame that Emancipation will only be seen via streaming, as director Antoine Fuqua made a big-budget epic that was clearly shot for the big screen and can only truly be appreciated if viewed in theatres. Apple has done the film no favours by only giving it a small theatrical run, and many will dismiss a movie that, no doubt, would be a much more immersive experience if viewed the way it was intended.
While generating a lot of comparisons to Twelve Years a Slave,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Emancipation is a 2022 drama movie directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Will Smith.
A period piece based on a true story that brings us up and close to extreme suffering and the resilience required to overcome extreme events. Will Smith proves, yet again, that he has the ability to get into character with unquestionable talent and dedication, and with intensity.
Premise
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.
‘Emancipation’ (2022) Movie Review
A movie that is beautifully produced, with evocative photography. It is a hefty and very dramatic feature that does not shy away from showing the most grueling sides of mankind. It was not intended to be taken lightly, so if you are seeking...
A period piece based on a true story that brings us up and close to extreme suffering and the resilience required to overcome extreme events. Will Smith proves, yet again, that he has the ability to get into character with unquestionable talent and dedication, and with intensity.
Premise
Inspired by the gripping true story of a man who would do anything for his family—and for freedom. When Peter, an enslaved man, risks his life to escape and return to his family, he embarks on a perilous journey of love and endurance.
‘Emancipation’ (2022) Movie Review
A movie that is beautifully produced, with evocative photography. It is a hefty and very dramatic feature that does not shy away from showing the most grueling sides of mankind. It was not intended to be taken lightly, so if you are seeking...
- 12/9/2022
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Cinematographer Robert Richardson had several reasons for why he was extraordinarily hesitant to shoot Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation.”
“I was a white man and unsure that I was the best choice to make a film about slavery, [also] nighttime and swamps are pretty forbidden in terms of access to technology — the film shot almost entirely in the swamps of Louisiana, and there was so much abuse, and I did not know that I would feel comfortable filming such a sensitive story,” he says.
This film is inspired by “Whipped Peter,” a photograph from 1863 of a former slave who escaped and joined the Union Army — the photo focuses on his back, crisscrossed with keloids and scars starkly illustrating the horrors of slavery. The photo was widely circulated and helped turn sentiment against slavery.
Will Smith plays Peter, the slave who spends days trying to outrun his captors through the dangerous, alligator-infested swamps of Louisiana.
“I was a white man and unsure that I was the best choice to make a film about slavery, [also] nighttime and swamps are pretty forbidden in terms of access to technology — the film shot almost entirely in the swamps of Louisiana, and there was so much abuse, and I did not know that I would feel comfortable filming such a sensitive story,” he says.
This film is inspired by “Whipped Peter,” a photograph from 1863 of a former slave who escaped and joined the Union Army — the photo focuses on his back, crisscrossed with keloids and scars starkly illustrating the horrors of slavery. The photo was widely circulated and helped turn sentiment against slavery.
Will Smith plays Peter, the slave who spends days trying to outrun his captors through the dangerous, alligator-infested swamps of Louisiana.
- 12/8/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Imani Pullum and Charmaine Bingwa in “Emancipation,” premiering December 9, 2022 on Apple TV+. The long-awaited film Emancipation is based on the true story of a slave who tries to find his way to freedom against the backdrop of an America that’s in the midst of a civil war. The Good Fight’s Charmaine Bingwa stars alongside Will Smith in the film. And even though it’s certainly not the most glamorous of roles, Bingwa told us she was incredibly excited to make this movie. (Click on the media bar below to hear Charmaine Bingwa) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Charmaine_-Bingwa_Emancipation_.mp3 Emancipation premieres this Friday on Apple TV+.
The post Charmaine Bingwa Was ‘Insane’ For ‘Emancipation’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post Charmaine Bingwa Was ‘Insane’ For ‘Emancipation’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 12/6/2022
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Emancipation Review — Emancipation (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Bill Collage and starring Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Aaron Moten, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Mustafa Shakir, Paul Ben-Victor, Jesse C. Boyd, David Denman, Imani Pullum, Jeremiah Friedlander, Jordyn [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Emancipation (2022): Antoine Fuqua’s Film Showcases Will Smith in Another Finely Rendered Performance...
Continue reading: Film Review: Emancipation (2022): Antoine Fuqua’s Film Showcases Will Smith in Another Finely Rendered Performance...
- 12/4/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Guillermo Del Toro on the 1,000-Day ‘Pinocchio’ Shoot and His 22 Finished Scripts Waiting to be Made
Guillermo del Toro loves cinema, and cinema loves him right back. He also knows the value of listening to collaborators and fellow filmmakers about getting the best possible result when making a feature, especially a passion project. “We don’t run a monarchy,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “We run a beautiful collaborative effort. The animators are given a voice. What is impossible is the monarchy is not a desirable state for a storyteller. It’s important to have the last word. It’s not important to have the only word.”
On this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we talk with the visionary filmmaker about his new film, discussing the process of bringing the film to the big screen which took over 1,000 days to shoot, and the 22 screenplays he’s yet to make. Listen below:
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has garnered critical acclaim and...
On this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we talk with the visionary filmmaker about his new film, discussing the process of bringing the film to the big screen which took over 1,000 days to shoot, and the 22 screenplays he’s yet to make. Listen below:
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has garnered critical acclaim and...
- 12/2/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Emancipation, The Whale, Willow and Violent Night.
George and Tammy premiere
Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon walked the carpet on Nov. 21 for the Los Angeles premiere of their George Jones and Tammy Wynette limited series.
Pat Healy, Vivie Myrick, Georgette Jones, Abe Sylvia, David Wilson Barnes, Kelly McCormack, Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Chris McCarthy, David Glasser, Kelly Carmichael and Keith Cox Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
The Whale NY premiere
Brendan Fraser continued his promotion of comeback film The Whale on Tuesday in NYC, alongside co-star Sadie Sink, director Darren Aronofsky and his two sons.
Jeremy Dawson, Ty Simpkins, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Darren Aronofsky and Samuel D. Hunter Brendan Fraser with sons Leland Fraser and Holden Fraser
Spoiler Alert premiere
Jim Parsons,...
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Emancipation, The Whale, Willow and Violent Night.
George and Tammy premiere
Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon walked the carpet on Nov. 21 for the Los Angeles premiere of their George Jones and Tammy Wynette limited series.
Pat Healy, Vivie Myrick, Georgette Jones, Abe Sylvia, David Wilson Barnes, Kelly McCormack, Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Chris McCarthy, David Glasser, Kelly Carmichael and Keith Cox Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
The Whale NY premiere
Brendan Fraser continued his promotion of comeback film The Whale on Tuesday in NYC, alongside co-star Sadie Sink, director Darren Aronofsky and his two sons.
Jeremy Dawson, Ty Simpkins, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Darren Aronofsky and Samuel D. Hunter Brendan Fraser with sons Leland Fraser and Holden Fraser
Spoiler Alert premiere
Jim Parsons,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hailing from director Antoine Fuqua, “Emancipation” was the subject of Oscar buzz even before its premiere.
Inspired by a true story, the historical drama follows an enslaved laborer named Peter, played by Will Smith, as he escapes the clutches of abusive plantation owners to reunite with his family. The treacherous journey tests Peter’s persistence as he trudges through the brutal Louisiana swamps.
If you watch to check out the film for yourself, here’s how to watch “Emancipation” when it hits screens this December.
Also Read:
Will Smith Says He Will ‘Completely Understand’ if Audiences Skip ‘Emancipation’ Over Oscars Slap When Does “Emancipation” Come Out?
The drama premieres Dec. 2.
Is “Emancipation” Streaming or in Theaters?
The film will be released in theaters only on Dec. 2, but you can stream “Emancipation” exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning on Dec. 9.
What Is “Emancipation” About?
Set in the 1860s, Peter, who has been...
Inspired by a true story, the historical drama follows an enslaved laborer named Peter, played by Will Smith, as he escapes the clutches of abusive plantation owners to reunite with his family. The treacherous journey tests Peter’s persistence as he trudges through the brutal Louisiana swamps.
If you watch to check out the film for yourself, here’s how to watch “Emancipation” when it hits screens this December.
Also Read:
Will Smith Says He Will ‘Completely Understand’ if Audiences Skip ‘Emancipation’ Over Oscars Slap When Does “Emancipation” Come Out?
The drama premieres Dec. 2.
Is “Emancipation” Streaming or in Theaters?
The film will be released in theaters only on Dec. 2, but you can stream “Emancipation” exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning on Dec. 9.
What Is “Emancipation” About?
Set in the 1860s, Peter, who has been...
- 12/2/2022
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Jason Makos on Wbgr-fm on December 1st, 2022, reviewing “Emancipation,” featuring Will Smith and set in the Civil War period within the eradication of slavery. In theaters on December 2nd, streaming December 9th on Apple TV+.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
This based-on-history story has Smith portraying Peter, a slave during the Civil War era who is separated from his family and forced to work for the Confederacy building a railroad. The overseer during this project is Fassel (Ben Foster), a notorious slave hunter and wrangler. Peter overhears that Lincoln has freed slaves, so when the war disrupts the worksite, he escapes. He is intent on getting to Baton Rouge, after also hearing that the Union occupies it. Fassel is in pursuit, but Peter has his own power, and it leads his into another realm … eventually as a solider for the Union.
”Emancipation...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
This based-on-history story has Smith portraying Peter, a slave during the Civil War era who is separated from his family and forced to work for the Confederacy building a railroad. The overseer during this project is Fassel (Ben Foster), a notorious slave hunter and wrangler. Peter overhears that Lincoln has freed slaves, so when the war disrupts the worksite, he escapes. He is intent on getting to Baton Rouge, after also hearing that the Union occupies it. Fassel is in pursuit, but Peter has his own power, and it leads his into another realm … eventually as a solider for the Union.
”Emancipation...
- 12/2/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Will Smith’s press tour for “Emancipation” continued on Wednesday night as the actor made his first red carpet appearance following the 2022 Oscars.
Smith arrived at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood with his family — wife Jada Pinkett Smith and children Trey, Willow and Jaden — by his side. As photographers called for him to look this way and that, Smith was jovial and more than prepared to face a throng of reporters for the first time since the fallout from slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards.
Smith already had a few interviews under his belt, including his trip to Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” and a virtual interview with Fox 5 DC’s Kevin McCarthy, where he directly addressed his actions at the Oscars and his public perception since. “That was a horrific night, as you can imagine,” he told Noah. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it.
Smith arrived at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood with his family — wife Jada Pinkett Smith and children Trey, Willow and Jaden — by his side. As photographers called for him to look this way and that, Smith was jovial and more than prepared to face a throng of reporters for the first time since the fallout from slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards.
Smith already had a few interviews under his belt, including his trip to Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” and a virtual interview with Fox 5 DC’s Kevin McCarthy, where he directly addressed his actions at the Oscars and his public perception since. “That was a horrific night, as you can imagine,” he told Noah. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it.
- 12/2/2022
- by Angelique Jackson and EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
In a world where The Slap never took place, Will Smith would be looking at another Oscar nomination for his performance as the enslaved person known to history as Whipped Peter. Somehow, against all odds, he flees bondage in a camp where he is being worked to death and runs through the Louisiana swamp — pursued by a monomaniacal runaway tracker (Ben Foster) on horseback — to join the Union army. Word is, “President Lincoln has freed the slaves.” So that’s where Peter wants to be.
He also wants to be reunited with his family. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, who can handle action and drama alike, has mounted an epic spectacle that showcases the horrors of slavery, the wily strength of survivor Peter as he outwits the hunters hellbent on killing him, and the cannon-fire Hell of the Civil War.
In short, Smith easily carries “Emancipation” and would usually be a shoo-in...
He also wants to be reunited with his family. Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, who can handle action and drama alike, has mounted an epic spectacle that showcases the horrors of slavery, the wily strength of survivor Peter as he outwits the hunters hellbent on killing him, and the cannon-fire Hell of the Civil War.
In short, Smith easily carries “Emancipation” and would usually be a shoo-in...
- 12/1/2022
- by Anne Thompson and Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
The review embargo for Antoine Fuqua’s much-talked about escaped slave drama Emancipation lifted Wednesday evening and early critics reaction to the Apple Original Films feature is decidedly mixed.
Critics praised Emancipation‘s cast, with Will Smith, the film’s controversy-stricken star, receiving plaudits along with co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa. There was also praise for the survival thriller setup of the film, with an appreciation for the different approach to the subject. But some critics took issue with the unrelenting brutality as well as the look of the film, with questions about Robert Richardson’s stylized cinematography as well as the sparse script.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye writes that Emancipation treats Peter’s escape and journey well, but the film is “hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay.” Gyarkye feels that the current reality of a growing refusal to...
The review embargo for Antoine Fuqua’s much-talked about escaped slave drama Emancipation lifted Wednesday evening and early critics reaction to the Apple Original Films feature is decidedly mixed.
Critics praised Emancipation‘s cast, with Will Smith, the film’s controversy-stricken star, receiving plaudits along with co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa. There was also praise for the survival thriller setup of the film, with an appreciation for the different approach to the subject. But some critics took issue with the unrelenting brutality as well as the look of the film, with questions about Robert Richardson’s stylized cinematography as well as the sparse script.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye writes that Emancipation treats Peter’s escape and journey well, but the film is “hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay.” Gyarkye feels that the current reality of a growing refusal to...
- 12/1/2022
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Smith brings movie-star presence to historical figure whose suffering and dignity became an iconic abolitionist image
Whatever his current travails, Will Smith brings a movie-star presence to this brutally violent civil war drama, with a physical stillness and defiantly steady gaze. It is inspired by the true story of “Whipped Peter”, the escaped slave who in 1863, having enlisted at a Union military camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, showed his horrendously scarred back to two civilian photographers there, shockingly disfigured with a lattice of raised welts and whip marks. The resulting photograph became an iconic abolitionist image: evidence of the savagery and Peter’s own heroic dignity and calm.
Smith’s Peter is not shown being whipped in this way, but it is clear that, like all the enslaved people, he has been subject to systematic cruelty, a type of racist violence that is not a distinct punitive event, but a continuous fact of life,...
Whatever his current travails, Will Smith brings a movie-star presence to this brutally violent civil war drama, with a physical stillness and defiantly steady gaze. It is inspired by the true story of “Whipped Peter”, the escaped slave who in 1863, having enlisted at a Union military camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, showed his horrendously scarred back to two civilian photographers there, shockingly disfigured with a lattice of raised welts and whip marks. The resulting photograph became an iconic abolitionist image: evidence of the savagery and Peter’s own heroic dignity and calm.
Smith’s Peter is not shown being whipped in this way, but it is clear that, like all the enslaved people, he has been subject to systematic cruelty, a type of racist violence that is not a distinct punitive event, but a continuous fact of life,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
We are eight months out from this year’s Academy Awards, where Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after a derogatory joke aimed at his wife Jada Pinkett. He was subsequently barred from attending the ceremony for the next decade. And, now, the actor’s career lies in jeopardy. Several of his projects have stalled. Others, reportedly, have been outright cancelled. His historical action film Emancipation, which had finished production just a few weeks before that fateful Oscar night, cost Apple an estimated 120m, and though the studio has pressed ahead with its scheduled release plan, the debate is still rife over whether they’ve made the right call. Smith himself gets it. “I completely understand,” he told a US journalist in an interview this week. “If someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready.” I also respect people’s...
- 12/1/2022
- by Clarisse Loughrey
- The Independent - Film
More than 150 years since the end of the Civil War, slavery remains the scar that just won’t heal in the United States. Recognizing that, Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation” is a bracing and still-necessary attempt to face this painful legacy head-on, inspired by perhaps the single most powerful image we have of a once-enslaved person: the 1863 portrait of “Whipped Peter,” whose lacerated back served as shocking proof of unconscionable mistreatment by his white “masters.” That photograph, widely circulated during the Civil War, forced the world to confront the cruelty of this system — much as Fuqua himself does with this unflinching account of a free man’s escape … and the society that conspired to keep him in chains.
Anchored by an ultra-focused and unusually low-key Will Smith as Peter, “Emancipation” can be an intense and at times almost unbearable thing to watch, presented in meticulously composed, nearly black-and-white frames, desaturated to...
Anchored by an ultra-focused and unusually low-key Will Smith as Peter, “Emancipation” can be an intense and at times almost unbearable thing to watch, presented in meticulously composed, nearly black-and-white frames, desaturated to...
- 12/1/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
- 12/1/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there’s anything unexpected about the depiction of slavery in director Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” it’s the unflinchingly grim imagery that populates its frames. The intent seems to derive from the photographs of the real-life subject who inspired the film: Gordon, or “Whipped Peter,” an escaped slave whose viciously scarred back was immortalized as a way to show the world the unspeakable horrors Black people faced in the United States.
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
- 12/1/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Will Smith is between a Chris Rock and a hard place.
The speculation surrounding Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” and Smith, its star and producer, has been the watercooler talk of awards season and the bane of awards prognosticators tracking their charts. Will voters embrace the epic? Can they or should they?
Following his slapping of the comedian at the 94th Oscars, Smith resigned from AMPAS and was banned from attending the ceremony or other Academy-sponsored events for 10 years. However, that doesn’t preclude the “King Richard” best actor winner from being nominated or even winning another statuette during that period. Nor should it prevent Antoine Fuqua’s film from being considered for accolades.
If you removed “the slap” from the equation, this awards season’s directing race narrative would probably have been trending toward Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) versus Fuqua (and it still can). Indeed, this is Fuqua’s “Schindler’s List...
The speculation surrounding Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” and Smith, its star and producer, has been the watercooler talk of awards season and the bane of awards prognosticators tracking their charts. Will voters embrace the epic? Can they or should they?
Following his slapping of the comedian at the 94th Oscars, Smith resigned from AMPAS and was banned from attending the ceremony or other Academy-sponsored events for 10 years. However, that doesn’t preclude the “King Richard” best actor winner from being nominated or even winning another statuette during that period. Nor should it prevent Antoine Fuqua’s film from being considered for accolades.
If you removed “the slap” from the equation, this awards season’s directing race narrative would probably have been trending toward Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) versus Fuqua (and it still can). Indeed, this is Fuqua’s “Schindler’s List...
- 12/1/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Will Smith’s Emancipation press tour rolled through Los Angeles on Wednesday as the Oscar-winning actor turned up to support the Apple Original Films’ release in a showing that marked Smith’s first major red carpet appearance since March’s controversial Oscar telecast.
Smith hit the carpet outside Westwood’s Regency Village Theatre just after 7 p.m., joined by wife Jada Pinkett Smith and children Trey, Jaden and Willow. He received cheers from the crush of photographers as he stepped on the carpet, responding with a hearty, “What’s the deal? What’s the deal?” Smith then spent a good chunk of time posing for photos with the cast and top Apple executives Jamie Erlicht, Eddy Cue and Zack Van Amburg before making his way down the line by generously giving time to each outlet.
Will Smith is here, arriving for the Emancipation...
Will Smith’s Emancipation press tour rolled through Los Angeles on Wednesday as the Oscar-winning actor turned up to support the Apple Original Films’ release in a showing that marked Smith’s first major red carpet appearance since March’s controversial Oscar telecast.
Smith hit the carpet outside Westwood’s Regency Village Theatre just after 7 p.m., joined by wife Jada Pinkett Smith and children Trey, Jaden and Willow. He received cheers from the crush of photographers as he stepped on the carpet, responding with a hearty, “What’s the deal? What’s the deal?” Smith then spent a good chunk of time posing for photos with the cast and top Apple executives Jamie Erlicht, Eddy Cue and Zack Van Amburg before making his way down the line by generously giving time to each outlet.
Will Smith is here, arriving for the Emancipation...
- 12/1/2022
- by Chris Gardner and Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Apple Original Films finally unveiled the Will Smith movie Emancipation tonight at The Regency Village Theatre in Westwood.
The pic, in which Smith plays a runaway slave who embarks on a death-defying 10-day journey to escape his captors through swamps to a safe haven with the Union army, has long been buzzed about. It’s a role that will rival the actor’s Oscar-winning turn this past year as Venus and Serena Williams’ coach/father, Richard Williams, in King Richard.
Related Story ‘Emancipation' Review: Peeling Back The Levels To The Story Of Will Smith's "Whipped Peter" Related Story Will Smith Talks Oscar Night With Trevor Noah: "That Was A Rage That Had Been Bottled For A Really Long Time" Related Story Will Smith Understands If People Don't Want To See His New Film After Oscars Slap: "I Would Absolutely Respect That"
While Smith’s scandal with Chris Rock...
The pic, in which Smith plays a runaway slave who embarks on a death-defying 10-day journey to escape his captors through swamps to a safe haven with the Union army, has long been buzzed about. It’s a role that will rival the actor’s Oscar-winning turn this past year as Venus and Serena Williams’ coach/father, Richard Williams, in King Richard.
Related Story ‘Emancipation' Review: Peeling Back The Levels To The Story Of Will Smith's "Whipped Peter" Related Story Will Smith Talks Oscar Night With Trevor Noah: "That Was A Rage That Had Been Bottled For A Really Long Time" Related Story Will Smith Understands If People Don't Want To See His New Film After Oscars Slap: "I Would Absolutely Respect That"
While Smith’s scandal with Chris Rock...
- 12/1/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Antoine Fuqua's "Emancipation" began with a single image. You're probably familiar with the photograph already: not only just because it's spent decades printed into history books, but because it's the kind of image that embeds itself into your mind. It's "The Scourged Back." It depicts an escaped slave best known as 'Whipped Peter' who is forever memorialized by that single photo of his back, ravaged by lashings that left keloid scars. It's the atrocities of slavery, captured on a single human body in a single image. It's become one of the most widely circulated photographs of slavery for good reason: when first taken, it played a pivotal role in the growing opposition to slavery. And now, it has inspired a film that's due to hit theaters 159 years after it was taken.
"Emancipation" promises an unflinching look at one man's story. After being whipped nearly to death, Peter (played by...
"Emancipation" promises an unflinching look at one man's story. After being whipped nearly to death, Peter (played by...
- 11/29/2022
- by Shania Russell
- Slash Film
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Will Smith made his return to late-night television on Monday when he appeared on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah for the first time since he slapped Chris Rock on the Dolby Theatre stage at this year’s Oscars.
When Noah asked the Academy Award winner about his journey in the months since the slap incident, Smith began by saying that it was “a horrific night.”
“[There are] many nuances and complexities to it, you know, but at the end of the day, I just, I lost it, you know,” Smith told Noah. “I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through.”
He continued by explaining that he was going through something that night, not that that “justifies my behavior at all.”
“You’re asking, what did I learn? And it’s that we just got to be nice to each other,...
Will Smith made his return to late-night television on Monday when he appeared on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah for the first time since he slapped Chris Rock on the Dolby Theatre stage at this year’s Oscars.
When Noah asked the Academy Award winner about his journey in the months since the slap incident, Smith began by saying that it was “a horrific night.”
“[There are] many nuances and complexities to it, you know, but at the end of the day, I just, I lost it, you know,” Smith told Noah. “I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through.”
He continued by explaining that he was going through something that night, not that that “justifies my behavior at all.”
“You’re asking, what did I learn? And it’s that we just got to be nice to each other,...
- 11/29/2022
- by Abbey White and Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Will Smith is well aware his 2022 Oscars actions could affect the success of his latest flick “Emancipation”.
Smith stars in the film as Peter, a slave who “flees a plantation in Louisiana after he was whipped within an inch of his life.”
A synopsis continues, “He has to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a torturous journey north.” It’s a true story.
After that Chris Rock slap back in March, Smith resigned from the Academy and was given a 10-year ban from the ceremony, meaning he won’t be returning in 2023.
Smith says in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “The only discomfort my heart has around that is that so many people have done spectacular work on this film.”
Read More: Will Smith Paid Extras On ‘Emancipation’ Out Of His Own Pocket
He adds, speaking as part of a roundtable alongside his co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa,...
Smith stars in the film as Peter, a slave who “flees a plantation in Louisiana after he was whipped within an inch of his life.”
A synopsis continues, “He has to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a torturous journey north.” It’s a true story.
After that Chris Rock slap back in March, Smith resigned from the Academy and was given a 10-year ban from the ceremony, meaning he won’t be returning in 2023.
Smith says in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “The only discomfort my heart has around that is that so many people have done spectacular work on this film.”
Read More: Will Smith Paid Extras On ‘Emancipation’ Out Of His Own Pocket
He adds, speaking as part of a roundtable alongside his co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa,...
- 11/28/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Emancipation Trailer — Apple TV+ has released the second movie trailer for Emancipation (2022) has been released. View here the Emancipation teaser trailer. Crew Antoine Fuqua‘s Emancipation stars Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Jabbar Lewis, Jayson Warner Smith, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Michael [...]
Continue reading: Emancipation (2022) Movie Trailer 2: Will Smith evades cold-blooded Slave Hunters in Louisiana Swamps...
Continue reading: Emancipation (2022) Movie Trailer 2: Will Smith evades cold-blooded Slave Hunters in Louisiana Swamps...
- 11/18/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Apple Original Films has revealed the trailer for the highly anticipated film ‘Emancipation.’
Directed and executive produced by Antoine Fuqua and starring and produced by Will Smith.
The film tells the triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom.
The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as “The Scourged Back,” which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.
Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Jayson Warner Smith, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten and Imani Pullum also star.
Directed and executive produced by Antoine Fuqua and starring and produced by Will Smith.
The film tells the triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom.
The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as “The Scourged Back,” which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.
Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Jayson Warner Smith, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten and Imani Pullum also star.
- 11/17/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Will Smith evades slavers, alligators, and more in his quest for freedom in the latest trailer for Emancipation, which is set to hit theaters on Dec. 2 before arriving on Apple TV+ on Dec. 9.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Emancipation was inspired by the 1893 “Whipped Peter” photos, especially the infamous “scourged back” photo, which showed the back of a former slave named Gordon covered in scars from whippings (it became especially prominent in the abolitionist movement). In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a slave who’s taken from his family but is determined...
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Emancipation was inspired by the 1893 “Whipped Peter” photos, especially the infamous “scourged back” photo, which showed the back of a former slave named Gordon covered in scars from whippings (it became especially prominent in the abolitionist movement). In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a slave who’s taken from his family but is determined...
- 11/16/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Will Smith is taking on some heavy subject matter with his next starring role.
On Wednesday, Apple TV+ debuted the first full trailer for “Emancipation”, in which Smith plays an enslaved man journeying to freedom through the swamps of Louisiana.
Read More: Will Smith Is Supported By Dave Chappelle And Rihanna At ‘Epic’ Screening Of ‘Emancipation’
“Inspired by a true story, one man fights through unthinkable terrors in an attempt to reunite with his family,” the officer description reads.
The trailer shows Smith’s character, Peter, taken into slavery before mounting his escape in order to enlist with the Union army against the South in the Civil War.
“What can a mere man do to me,” Peter says in the trailer.
The movie is inspired by the iconic 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter”, which showed the formerly enslaved man’s back filled with scars.
Read More: Will Smith Reveals Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On Wednesday, Apple TV+ debuted the first full trailer for “Emancipation”, in which Smith plays an enslaved man journeying to freedom through the swamps of Louisiana.
Read More: Will Smith Is Supported By Dave Chappelle And Rihanna At ‘Epic’ Screening Of ‘Emancipation’
“Inspired by a true story, one man fights through unthinkable terrors in an attempt to reunite with his family,” the officer description reads.
The trailer shows Smith’s character, Peter, taken into slavery before mounting his escape in order to enlist with the Union army against the South in the Civil War.
“What can a mere man do to me,” Peter says in the trailer.
The movie is inspired by the iconic 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter”, which showed the formerly enslaved man’s back filled with scars.
Read More: Will Smith Reveals Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- 11/16/2022
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
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