Till’: SU Alum Beauchamp host pre-screening

On Wednesday September 21st, Southern University organized a panel and advanced screening. Southern University Students were able to register for a free ticket to see the new Emmett Till movie, Till at the Manship Theater in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The movie was directed by Chinonye Chukwu. Chinonye Chukwu is a Nigerian director, and she is the first black woman to win the U.S Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Chinonye may not have been at the screening in person, but she had a few words about the movie she wrote posted onto the screen. She stated if it had not been for Emmet’s Mother, Mamie, she believes his story would’ve been very invalid and most likely not heard of. Due to his mother using her powerful words for her son, Emmett’s story is still being written and talked about today. Chinonye’s focus was mainly on Mamie and her life as a mother losing her son. Mamie was strong. She didn’t lose herself and let others win. Mamie kept fighting, and she became a warrior. She also hoped to have Mamie encourage us as the audience to make ourselves stronger and continue to fight for the change we want to see in the world just like her.
Although the director wasn’t at the screening, the producer of ‘Till’ was present. The producer, Keith Beauchamp, is Baton Rouge raised and a Southern University alum. Before and after the screening, he expressed how important the movie was to him and how hard it was to finally get the true story into an official movie. As we all know Emmett Till’s story will forever continue due to its lack of attention.
Emmett Louis Till was an African American 14 year old boy who was from Chicago, Illinois. He was abused, lynched, and murdered in Drew, Mississippi. This happened to him because he was accused of offending a white woman by the name of Carolyn Bryant, in a drug store.
Darius Gaines, a sophomore, business marketing major, attended the screening and gave his opinion. “Attending this prescreening and seeing a movie based on his story for the very first time was touching not only as an individual but as an African American young man. As a student at an HBCU, it is important to know his story. I may not be able to imagine the pain as his mother but seeing how the actress, Danielle Deadwyler, who played as Emmett Tills’ mother, Mamie Till , reacted to her son being in a casket was very heartbreaking. I encourage everyone to please go see ‘Till’ on October 14th. It is very educational and worth seeing,” Gaines stated.