Will Smith’s movie Emancipation gets first screening months after Oscars’ infamous slap

Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming movie Emancipation had its first screening by Apple on Saturday in Washington DC.

According to Deadline, Apple and NAACP hosted the movie’s screening during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 51st Annual Legislative Conference in DC. The screening was later followed by a discussion about the movie with Smith and Fuqua.

“Throughout my career, I’ve turned down many films that were set in slavery,” said Hancock star at the screening.

Smith continued, “I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along. And this is not a film about slavery. This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith.”

Based on a true story, the movie shows an enslaved man Peter (played by Smith), who “survived the Louisiana swamps armed with his wits to escape cold-blooded slave hunters and be free”.

“The protagonist then joins the Union Army and during a medical examination, his bare back, which had scars on it from a near-fatal whipping at the hands of his former plantation’s supervisor, was photographed,” the synopsis read.

“This is a film about the heart of a man, what could be called the first viral image. Cameras had just been created, and the image of whipped Peter went around the world,” Smith reflected.

The actor added, “It was a rallying cry against slavery, and this was a story that exploded and blossomed in my heart that I wanted to be able to deliver to you in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could deliver.”

So far, the release hasn’t been decided, however, it seems Apple is going to release it soon.