RECAP: New York Film Festival Student Screening For “TILL”

As part of the 60th New York Film Festival’s collaboration with Orion Pictures’ Till, over 1,000 New York City students and more than 1,000 students in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dayton, Louisville, and Philadelphia simultaneously screened the film and watched a conversation with the film’s cast and filmmakers. Watch the full Q&A down below.

Based on a true story, Till stars Danielle Deadwyler (Mamie Till-Mobley), Jalyn Hall (Emmett Till), Frankie Faison (John Carthan), Haley Bennett (Carolyn Bryant), Sean Patrick Thomas (Gene Mobley), John Douglas Thompson (Moses Wright) and Whoopi Goldberg (Alma Carthan). Till is an emotional film about the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. The film opens nationwide on October 28th.

At the special student screening at the 60th New York Film Festival, students were allowed to watch this urgent and necessary film together as a community of younger generations coming together. New York City Mayor Eric Adams welcomed students in a heartfelt introduction. “Till is a powerful film – that is not professional emotion but powerful emotion,” he said. “Use this film to empower you. Use this film to say the winds of change have never been blown by adults, the winds of change have always been blown by young people. You are not leaders of tomorrow, you are leaders of today.”

Co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and cousin of Emmett Till, Deborah Watts, told students as the Q&A came to a close, “Thank you for being here. Thank you for being Mamie’s hope. I hope you will walk out understanding you have a role to play, whatever that may be, I appreciate you and from Mamie, we love you.”

Miles Regis, the Los Angeles-based multi-media visual artist who rose to national prominence during the BLM Movement with his “Better Days Ahead” social justice series, collaborated with the 60th New York Film Festival and MGM’s Orion Pictures to create an original work for their multi-city educational student screening series, inspired by the film Till. Regis’ work is in the permanent collection of Senegal’s Le Musee Borindar, The California African American Museum, and institutions around the world as well as private collections including those of Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, The Marley Family, Halle Berry, and Russell Westbrook.

All students across the participating cities were given a special edition NYFF60 TILL Student Screening Program featuring Miles Regis’ work “A Mother Knows”. The original painting was displayed at the TILL World Premiere at New York Film Festival on October 1, 2022. Regis’ work is in the permanent collection of Senegal’s Le Musee Borindar, The California African American Museum and institutions around the world as well as private collections including those of Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, The Marley Family, Halle Berry, and Russell Westbrook.

“The Till tragedy transcends time and reminds us of the importance of understanding the history of the birth of the civil rights movement,” says Regis, who makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. Calling Till a film of tremendous significance in the canon of American cinema, Regis adds “Danielle Deadwyler’s deeply moving performance as Mamie Till-Mobley speaks profoundly to a mother’s love and devotion to her son, to her community and all of humanity.”

Till a film centering on Mamie Till-Mobley’s role in igniting the modern civil rights movement made its world premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival. The educational partnership developed from Orion Pictures’ and United Artists Releasing’s desire to showcase the film’s cinematic artistry and performances while continuing to support the Till family’s mission as part of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. Working with movie theaters, high schools, and colleges throughout the country, the screening program continues to create an impactful, interactive, and immersive experience for students, educators, and their families.

“Film has the power to enlighten, educate and unite; to stir us to action. We were honored to share Till with students in New York and multiple cities, this bracing portrait of the fearless activism of Mamie Till-Mobley,” says Eugene Hernandez, Executive director of the New York Film Festival.

Students in all screening cities were given a special edition NYFF60 Till Student Screening Program featuring Regis’ work “A Mother Knows” for this series. The original painting was displayed at Till’s premiere on October 1, 2022. Signed lithographs will be sold through The Von Lintel Gallery in Los Angeles, which represents Regis, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. The original piece is for sale and Regis’ hope is for a collector to purchase it and donate it to one of the nation’s leading museums for exhibition as a reminder that there is still a long way to go in getting justice for Emmett’s lynching – 67 years after the tragic event. To purchase a lithograph of “A Mother Knows”, click here (Fathom Gallery – A Mother Knows).