Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry and Viola Davis have signed on as executive producers for “Emanuel,” the documentary which tells the story of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Directed by Brian Ivie, “Emanuel” chronicles the events of June 17, 2015, when Dylann Roof walked into a bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and killed nine African Americans during their closing prayer.
Curry via his Unanimous Media and Davis and Julius Tennon via their JuVee Productions will executive produce the documentary, the companies announced today.
The documentary features intimate interviews with survivors and family members who were left to grapple with this senseless act of terror. “Emanuel” is described as a poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, and the healing power of forgiveness.
“Emanuel is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers,” Curry said in a statement. “The documentary highlights how a horrible tragedy can bring a community together, and spreads an important message about the power of forgiveness. Stories like this are the reason we created Unanimous and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”
“June 17, 2015 served as a stark reminder of the power of racism,” Davis and Tennon added. “That evening, a routine bible study at Emanuel Church was a soft target based solely on the racial profile of the congregation. We, along with the country, grieved each family’s loss. Yet, miraculously, from this devastation we witnessed tremendous benchmarks of humanity. The survivors found courage to love in the face of hate. JuVee is proud to be a part of this healing and truth telling along with Unanimous Media, Brian Ivie and John Shepherd.”
“I could not have asked for better partners than Stephen, Viola, and their teams to represent this story, and more importantly, these families, and their strong faith, to the world,” Ivie said. “We are beyond grateful.”
“Emanuel” will be featured at DOC NYC on Nov. 14 and 15.