00:00Hi everyone, it's Adi Yohannes with Ebony Magazine and we're here on the red carpet
00:07for the LA premiere of Till.
00:12How did it feel to be a part of bringing this story to light for your generation?
00:17Oh my god, it's an honor.
00:19I feel blessed.
00:20Everyone who sees this is going to take something away in their own unique way, something unique
00:25to them.
00:26Overall, just really feeling the human side of these people and learning the trials and
00:31tribulations that Mamie went through in order to get justice, not only for her son, but
00:34for us all.
00:35We know these kind of myths surrounding the story, but this gets to the heart of it.
00:40I want it to be consumed in the humanity and the complexity of the choice making that she
00:45had at the time.
00:46And so this film gives folks that opportunity and that's what I was excited to dig into,
00:51to the public nature and the private nature of who she was.
00:54It's a piece of history that we need to know about so we have conversation that can lead
00:59to something positive.
01:00For me to be a part of that is something, it's right in my wheelhouse, it's the kind
01:05of work that I like to do, it's the reason that I went into show business in the first
01:08place.
01:09You hope to use your work to make an impact and so that's what Till is.
01:14It's an opportunity to make an impact.
01:16It's an opportunity to connect the dots between when black people first came to this country
01:21to 1955 to now.
01:23A lot of the same things are still happening.
01:25I hope that viewers can take away the power of courage in the pursuit of justice because
01:32that's what Emmett Till's mom, Mamie Till Mobley, does.
01:36And I hope we can take away the idea that we can't forget about these things or else
01:40they will continue to happen in the future.
01:43I want people to understand that this is not just a movie, it's a movement.
01:46It's a movement to reconcile the wrongs that have been done in our past.
01:50We're still fighting for justice for Emmett Till.
01:53This is only a component and a tool to make sure that happens.
01:57In 1955, Ebony and Jett played a role in publishing the pictures of Emmett Till to the world.
02:02What do you think is the importance of media and public figures like yourself to shining
02:07awareness to stories that are so important like this one?
02:10It's absolutely important for anybody that gets a microphone in front of them to speak
02:14the truth and lay the facts out there.
02:16The first thing I decided was that the story needed to be told from the perspective of
02:20Mamie Till Mobley, and it needed to be about her journey.
02:24For without Mamie, the world wouldn't know who Emmett was.
02:26And so, you think you know this story, but you really have no idea.
02:30This is a challenge to those who don't want to explore the truth of the American experience,
02:35who don't want to explore the truth of the black American experience, which are one and
02:38the same, right?
02:39And so this is a challenge to that.
02:41This is a challenge to get people to go into the history on their own.
02:45People learn in all kinds of ways, and so here's a cinematic portrayal, and this is
02:49pushing you to dig further and deeper on your own.
02:52I didn't know as much as I thought I did going into this project, but learning from all the
02:57first-hand sources, I got to learn and change in so many different ways, and for the youth
03:02of our day today, that's crucial.
03:05Mamie's bravery and courage should impact all of us, not just those of us who are involved
03:09in the film, because she proved that a simple act of courage can literally change the world.
03:15You can make a comparison to the young lady who videotaped George Floyd getting killed.
03:22That was a simple act of courage that changed the world.
03:24She was an empowering force and a shero for myself and for many, many, many, many people,
03:32and her message was one of not just courage, but to unapologetically stand in your power
03:37and your worth, and that really was a guiding principle for me when constructing this film.
03:41This is a community film.
03:43This is community-made.
03:45It's meant to be shared with loved ones.
03:48Don't go alone.
03:49Go with someone.
03:50Go find joy.
03:51Go find inspiration and strength, and I'm just astounded to share this in this manner.
