Director Brian Ivie Talks About the Documentary Emanuel in Theaters Nationwide June 17 & 19, 2019 Only
In June 2015, one of most horrible acts of domestic terror happened in Charleston, South Carolina. Emanuel A.M.E.Church members gathered for weekly Bible study and were attacked which resulted in 9 members killed by a white supremacist.
The film “EMANUEL” is a powerful documentary that examines how faith, hope and forgiveness healed a devastated community after the heinous church shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Those killed were:
Clementa C. Pinckney (41) — the church’s pastor and a South Carolina state senator.
Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd (54) — Bible study member and manager for the Charleston County Public Library system; sister of politician and former state senator Malcolm Graham.
Susie Jackson (87) — a Bible study and church choir member. She was the oldest victim of the shooting.
Ethel Lee Lance (70) — the church’s sexton.
Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49) — a pastor who was also employed as a school administrator and admissions coordinator at Southern Wesleyan University.
Tywanza Sanders (26) — a Bible study member; grandnephew of victim Susie Jackson. He was the youngest victim of the shooting.
Daniel L. Simmons (74) — a pastor who also served at Greater Zion AME Church in Awendaw.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45) — a pastor; also a speech therapist and track coach at Goose Creek High School; mother of MLB prospect Chris Singleton.
Myra Thompson (59) — a Bible study teacher.
Director and screenwriter Brian Ivie who is a based in Los Angeles and co- founder of Arbella Studios made a point of telling a story about those so closely affected by the tragedy.
Brian’s company is dedicated to telling stories of faith and social justice. While spending time with the families, he noted that he wanted to hear authentically from them the victim’s families so it was important for him to listen and allow them to speak which is very apparent in the film.
The most profound aspect to take away from this film might be that even in tragedy, there can be forgiveness. That is so difficult, yet powerful at the same time, and the members of Emanuel A.M.E. have truly set an example for this and we thank them.
Executive Producers NBA All-Star, Stephen Curry, Emmy Award Winner, Mariska Hargitay, and Academy Award Winner Viola Davis were a part of the all star team of this thought provoking documentary.
The film will be released nationwide through Fathom Events on June 17th and 19th only. For more information, visit the EMANUEL website.
