Chinonye Chukwu’s feature drama Till for MGM’s Orion and United Artists Releasing will be honored with the Stanley Kramer Award at the 34th annual Producers Guild Awards, taking place at The Beverly Hilton on February 25, 2023.
Named after the director-producer responsible for some of the most pivotal social issue films in American history — including Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner — the Stanley Kramer Award recognizes a production, producer, or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues. Past recipients of the award include Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda, as well as such films as Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda.
Written by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chukwu, Till tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), whose pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till (Jalyn Hall) became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement. Emmett Till, of course, was the African American teenager who was abducted, tortured and lynched in 1955 Mississippi, after being accused of a flirtatious interaction with the white woman, Carolyn Bryant, posthumously becoming a civil rights icon. Mamie’s decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral, and to have Jet magazine publish David Jackson’s funeral photos, was driven by her motivation to ensure people everywhere knew what had happened to her son.
Released in theaters on October 14 after world premiering at the New York Film Festival, and later winning Deadwyler the Gotham Award for Outstanding Lead Performance, Till also stars Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett and Whoopi Goldberg. Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Reilly and Fredrick Zollo served as its producers.
“Till is a remarkable film and an incredible achievement for producers Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly, and Fredrick Zollo as well as director Chinonye Chukwu,” said PGA Presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line. “This team fought for years to see Mamie Till-Mobley’s story told on the big screen, venerating her legacy and the enduring love she had for her son, Emmett. We are humbled and thrilled to bestow this award on a film that compassionately depicts the events, and mother-son bond, that sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Till inspires all of us to work towards realizing Mamie’s purpose, justice for her son Emmett and all those who have been harmed by hatred and prejudice.”
“We are very grateful to the Producers Guild for honoring our film Till with this prestigious award as Stanley Kramer was a visionary filmmaker whose films and life inspired us all,” added producers Beauchamp, Broccoli, Goldberg, Levine, Reilly and Zollo in a joint statement. “Our film honors the legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley and her son Emmett, and all of those who came before and after them who fight for the pursuit of justice here in the United States and around the world.”
Anchor Street Collective will produce the 2023 PGA Awards for the Producers Guild of America, with Branden Chapman serving as executive producer, and Carleen Cappelletti as co-EP. This year’s Event Chairs are Funny or Die’s CEO, Mike Farah and CCO, Joe Farrell.
