Jesse Williams Will Make Directorial Debut w/ Film Focused On Aftermath of Emmett Till’s Murder

Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams Will Make Directorial Debut w/ Film Focused On Aftermath of Emmett Till’s Murder

Activist and actor Jesse Williams will be making his directorial debut in a film titled Till. With no premiere date set, the upcoming film will tell the story of the aftermath of Emmett Louis Till’s death in the mid-1950s. Emmett was a black teen who was kidnapped, beaten, and lynched by two white men after being accused of flirting with a white woman. The film will follow the life of Till’s mother, Mamie Mobley Till as she tries to seek justice for her 14-year-old son’s wrongful killing in Mississippi.

Williams says of project,

I’m honored to be directing the story of Mamie & Emmett: a tale of revolutionary defiance in the face of tremendous personal and public devastation. An exploration of power and pulling back the curtain on cultural violence; of boyhood and maternity challenging America’s reflex to hide from itself; underdogs refusing to pretend that terror is freedom.

Jesse Williams

The film will be based on civil rights filmmaker, Keith A. Beauchamp 2005 documentary, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, which was a catalyst for the United States Department of Justice to reopen the Till case in 2004. The Williams directed film is reported to have the support of the Till family and production is scheduled to be start in Summer 2019.

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