Academy Award winner Viola Davis and NBA superstar Steph Curry have partnered to work on Emanuel, a documentary about the 2015 shooting massacre of Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina by White supremacist Dylann Roof.
According to Variety, Dane Smith, David Segel and Tina Segel were initially listed as executive producers. Unanimous Media, Curry’s production company, and JuVee Productions, headed by Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, were added to help attract a distribution partner.
The news comes more than a year after Roof was sentenced to death as recommended by a jury for killing nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which the movie is titled after.
“‘Emanuel’ is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers,” Curry said in a statement. “The documentary highlights how a horrible tragedy can bring a community together, and spreads an important message about the power of forgiveness. Stories like this are the reason we created Unanimous and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”
Davis and Tennon released a joint statement saying the massacre “served as a stark reminder of the power of racism.”
The statement continued, “We, along with the country, grieved each family’s loss. Yet, miraculously, from this devastation we witnessed tremendous benchmarks of humanity. The survivors found courage to love in the face of hate. JuVee is proud to be a part of this healing and truth telling along with Unanimous Media, Brian Ivie and John Sheppard.”
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