Until director Chinonye Chukwu exclaims “unabashed misogyny towards black women” when her film is dropped from the Oscars
Just a day after her critically acclaimed film Till was excluded from the Oscar nominations, director Chinonye Chukwu speaks out.
The 37-year-old filmmaker directed and co-wrote Till, which takes place after the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till when his mother, Mamie (Danielle Deadwyler), demands justice.
While the film received rave reviews at Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% re-rating, the film received no Oscar nominations when it was announced Tuesday.
Speaking up: Just a day after her critically acclaimed film Till was excluded from the Oscar nominations, director Chinonye Chukwu speaks out
Mother: The 37-year-old filmmaker directed and co-wrote Till, which takes place after the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till when his mother Mamie (Danielle Deadwyler) seeks justice
Chukwu shared a snap of her posing with civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams at the October 2022 premiere of Till with a heartfelt caption.
“We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressive in maintaining whiteness and maintaining an unabashed misogyny toward black women,” Chukwu began.
‘And yet. I am forever grateful for the greatest lesson of my life – no matter what challenges or obstacles I face, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and that joy will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance,’ she added.
Sharing: Chukwu shared a snap of her posing with civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams at the October 2022 premiere of Till with a heartfelt caption
The film debuted in October, but despite rave reviews, it didn’t make a dent at the box office.
The film — with an estimated budget of $20 million — has grossed just $9.7 million worldwide, with domestic earnings of $9 million making up the majority of its worldwide earnings.
While the film failed to gain recognition at the Oscars, Deadwyler was nominated for both a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance.
Glorious reviews: The film debuted in October, but despite rave reviews, it failed to make it at the box office
Nominated: While the film failed to gain recognition at the Oscars, Deadwyler was nominated for both a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance
It was also named one of the best films of 2022 by the National Board of Review.
Till’s 98% is also a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than all 10 Best Picture nominees – All Quiet on the Western Front (92%), Avatar: The Way of Water (77%), The Banshees of Inisherin (97%) , Elvis (77%), Everything Everywhere All At Once (95%), The Fablemans (92%), Tar (90%), Top Gun: Maverick (96%), Triangle of Sadness (72%) and Women Talking ( 90%).
The film is based on the true story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Chicagoan who was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, in the summer of 1955.
Best: It was also named one of the best films of 2022 by the National Board of Review
He interacted with 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant at the grocery store she co-owned, with Till allegedly flirting with her and whistling at her.
Two nights after the incident, Bryant’s husband and half-brother kidnapped Till and brutally beat and mutilated him before killing him and dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River, where it was found three days later.
The film was also co-written and produced by Keith Beauchamp, who directed the 2003 documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till.
True Story: Two nights after the incident, Bryant’s husband and half-brother abducted Till and brutally beat and mutilated him before killing him and dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River, where it was found three days later