During a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles awards-season event, Beauchamp — who also directed a 2005 documentary on Emmett Till — said it took 29 years to bring the feature film to the screen.'Living' Star Bill Nighy Finds Inspiration And Humor In His Role As A Dying Man - Contenders L.A.As the project finally began to move forward, Chukwu was brought on board.
For Deadwyler, it was important to portray Mamie’s grief with care. “This was about expressing the love that Mamie had for Emmett, which was what essentially carried her to her last days and what carries us now,” she said. Hall was 14 when the movie was shot — the same age as Emmett Till when the Chicago teenager was murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi. During the panel discussion, he revealed he never learned about Emmett Till in school, but his mother shared stories about the horrifying events.“I hadn’t known the full scope what I was getting into. Coming out of it, I have gotten enlightened further, not only about what happened 67 years ago, but what happens today,” he said.