CHARLESTON, SC – JULY 17: Traffic passes by the Emanuel AME Church on the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting on July 17, 2015 in Charleston, South Carolina. Visitors from around the nation continue to pay their respects at a makeshift shrine in front of the church, in a show of faith and solidarity with “Mother Emanuel”, as the church is known in Charleston. Nine people were allegedly murdered on June 17 by 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof, who was captured by police in North Carolina the following day. He is scheduled to go to trial July 11, 2016. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Steph Curry, along with Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon, are set to executive produce “Emanuel,” a stirring documentary about the June 17, 2015 shooting of nine Black parishioners by a white supremacist.
Curry’s production company, Unanimous Media, alongside Davis and Tennon’s Uvee Productions will executive produce along with signed producers Dane Smith, David Segel and Tina Segel, Variety reports.
The movie will cover the aftermath after Dylann Roof walked into a Wednesday bible study to murder churchgoers at Emanuel A.M.E., a historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Filmmakers sat down the families of the nine victims, along with the survivors of the shooting. The film also seeks to cover the healing and restoration efforts in the Charleston community involving the participation of politicians and the community in mourning.
“Emanuel” is directed by Brian Ivie (“The Drop Box”) and is produced by John Shepherd, Mike Wildt and Dimas Salaberrios. The documentary still needs a distribution partner, something filmmakers hope Davis and Curry can attract with their involvement.
“We, along with the country, grieved each family’s loss. Yet, miraculously, from this devastation we witnessed tremendous benchmarks of humanity,” Davis and Tennon said in a joint statement. “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.”
“‘Emanuel’ is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers. The documentary highlights how a horrible tragedy can bring a community together, and spreads an important message about the power of forgiveness, Curry said in a statement. “Stories like this are the reason we created Unanimous and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”
“Emanuel” originally premiered to rave reviews at the Bentonville Film Festival in May, where it won the jury prize award for documentary. Last month filmmakers also screened the documentary at the Heartland International Film Festival, where it was the audience-award winner. From November 14-15, it will screen at the DOC NYC festival.
