NBA star — and Charlotte native — Stephen Curry has joined award-winning actress Viola Davis and four others as executive producer of Emanuel, a documentary recounting the 2015 Charleston church shooting in which white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine African-Americans at a historic church in South Carolina.
“Emanuel is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers,” Curry told Deadline.com. “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 [media company] and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”
The documentary — which was made in partnership with the city of Charleston and the victims’ families — features interviews with survivors and family members.
On June 17, 2015, Roof walked into the first-floor fellowship hall of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and was welcomed to a Bible study session.
Toward the end of the meeting as the members closed their eyes in prayer, he took out his .45-caliber Glock pistol and began shooting at the 12 people there. He shot the nine victims multiple times, including the sister of former N.C. Sen. Malcolm Graham. Graham said that he was interviewed but doesn’t know what material made the final cut.
Last year, Roof pled guilty to the murders and was given nine consecutive life sentences. He was also found guilty on hate crime charges and sentenced to death. Roof became the first person convicted of a federal hate crime and sentenced to the death penalty, a Justice Department spokesman told CNN.
According to Variety.com, the 75-minute film will screen at DOC NYC — an annual documentary festival — which runs Nov. 14-15.
Katrina Louis is managing editor of qcitymetro.com who can always find something to do in Charlotte. She’s an offline hustler (and has the shirt to prove it) but when online, find her on Instagram and Twitter.
