On the Red Carpet: With the cast of Till and the Mayor of London

There’s a good chance you know the name Emmett Till, and if you do then you also likely know what happened to him. But how many of us know what happened after? How many know the long and laborious fight for justice his mother embarked on?

That is the story told in Till, which hits cinemas in the UK today. The film is directed by Chinonye Chukwu, and it is told entirely from the perspective of Mamie Till, Emmett’s mother, who became an educator and activist after her son’s murder. Back in October I got to speak with the cast and crew about this story, which was selected by Sadiq Khan as the film for the Mayor of London’s Gala.

Chinonye Chukwu. Image Credit: Getty Images

You could feel the passion off every person involved in this film, this story really matters to them, doing it justice really matters to them, and people receiving it really matters to them. “This is a film that affects us all. I want all audiences, no matter where you live, to be activated to be change agents in their ways. I really want people to understand that systematic oppression, racialised oppression, is not just an American problem, it is global.” says director Chinonye Chukwu.

The story of Emmett Till is one that changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement, telling it is a huge responsibility. Especially for Danielle Deadwyler who plays Mamie Till, and Jalyn Hall who takes on the role of Emmett.

“I came to this role in a spiritual way. It’s a difficult thing to say yes to something so challenging. So gut-wrenching and tragic in Black American history. In a global history of oppression and how people fight through it. I just knew I had to do it. It is the thing that scares me the most, and the things that scare you the most are more than likely the things you should move through.” says Danielle about saying yes to the project.

Jalyn Hall and Danielle Deadwyler. Image Credit: Getty

For Jalyn, it’s about sharing Emmett’s story. “Unfortunately there’s a lot of people around the world who don’t know who Emmett Till is. But with this project they will soon. I knew the surface level before taking it on, as a Black boy in America it was told to me at a young age, as a kind of cautionary tale. A means to prevent something like that happening to me. But I got to know these people in such a personal and human way.”

As Black people spending every day at work deep in our trauma cannot be easy, so how do they decompress at the end of the day? John Douglas Thompson, who plays Emmett’s Uncle says it’s about taking the character off and having fun. “We become ourselves and be witty, and funny and happy with each other and express joy whilst working on the project. And I think the idea that we wanted to tell this truthful story and get it out to the world gave us focus, but we were also able to have fun in doing the work.” - something that Tosin Cole echoed but also added “Self care. Self care and trying to unwind. Eating cookies and drinking oat milk.”

This film was at the London Film Festival as the Mayor of London Gala, and I was lucky enough to be able to speak with Sadiq Khan on the day about the importance of the arts, culture, and why this film.

Sadiq Khan. Image Credit: Getty

“Look, it’s really important. It’s integral. All of us, either intentionally or not, end up watching movies, listening to music, reading articles, reading books. But it’s who is writing those stories, who is making that music, who is producing it, who is directing it. One of the things I’m really passionate about are different stories being told. From the Black perspective, the female perspective, the LGBTQ+ perspective. And that’s why the London Film Festival matters to me.”

And there were so many films on the bill that fit that criteria, so why this one? “One of the reasons is, art should nourish the soul but also inspire people to do things as a consequence. I sit down every year and make a conscious decision on the film I want to be the Mayor’s Gala film. This film is important to me for a variety of reasons - having a Black (female) director, having Black talent in front of the camera. But also the story it tells. Most of us know, roughly speaking, Emmett Till’s story. The horror of how his life ended. But how many know about the campaign that his mum did? How many know for example that his mum intentionally left his casket open, because she wanted the world to see what they’d done to her son?”

And what of the films relevance today? “It was allyship that led to a lot of the advancements, but actually we can’t be complacent because we’ve seen with George Floyd’s brutal murder, but also with the racism, prejudice and discrimination that exists even in London - the most progressive city in the world - we can’t be complacent. And I’m a firm believer that you can’t divorce the past from the present. So I’m hoping that as shocking as this movie is, that it inspires people. Those who aren’t Black to be good ally’s, but also for the current generation to understand it’s not mission accomplished.”

Till is out in cinemas nationwide today, January 6th.