Producers Guild honors Chinonye Chukwu’s ‘Till’ with Stanley Kramer Award

Posted by Brandy McDonnell on Feb 17, 2023 | 0 comments

From left, Danielle Deadwyler plays Mamie Till Mobley and Jalyn Hall plays Emmett Till in “Till.” [Orion Pictures photo]

The Stanley Kramer Award lauds a production, producer, or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues, the PGA revealed on Facebook. 

The 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards are scheduled for Feb. 25 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Producers Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly and Frederick Zollo will share the honor at the ceremony, Variety reports.

“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,” the producers said in a joint statement, per Variety. “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.”

Chukwu’s “Till” made its world premiere last fall on opening weekend at the 60th New York Film Festival.

The follow-up to the Nigerian-born filmmaker’s powerhouse 2019 drama “Clemency,” “Till” tells the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Till. In 1955, Emmett was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, audiences will witness the universal power of a mother’s courage and its ability to change the world.

“Till” stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley, Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till, Frankie Faison as John Carthan, Haley Bennett as Carolyn Bryant, Sean Patrick Thomas as Gene Mobley, John Douglas Thompson as Moses Wright and Oscar winner Goldberg as Alma Carthan.

Past recipients of the Stanley Kramer Award include actor-producers Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda as well as films like “Get Out,” “Loving,” “Fruitvale Station,” “The Normal Heart” and “Hotel Rwanda.” As a director and producer, Kramer’s films like “The Defiant Ones” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” offered commentary on racism that helped transform popular American cinema.

“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,” said Producers Guild of America Presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line in a statement per Variety. “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.”

As previously reported, the Producers Guild also will honor during its 2023 awards trailblazing producer and television star Mindy Kaling with its Norman Lear Achievement Award, which lauds a producer or producing team for their extraordinary body of work in television.

Plus, movie star and film producer Tom Cruise will receive the 2023 David O. Selznick Achievement Award, which honors a producer or producing team for their extraordinary body of work in motion pictures.

And the guild will recognize film producers and Co-Chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Pictures Group Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy with the 2023 Milestone Award, the PGA’s most prestigious honor, recognizing an individual or team who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry.

The Producers Guild of America includes more than 8,500 producers as the nonprofit trade organization that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media.

-BAM