Women of Movement

‘Women of Movement’ is a historical drama based on the true story of Emmett Till’s murder. Image: Supplied.

‘Women of Movement’: Why the story of Emmett Till’s murder matters

‘Women of Movement’ is a historical drama based on the true story of Emmett Till’s murder. Take a look at the trailer…

Women of Movement

‘Women of Movement’ is a historical drama based on the true story of Emmett Till’s murder. Image: Supplied.

Women of the Movement, a historical drama based on the death of Emmett Till, is now available to binge on Showmax. 

‘WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT’

The historical drama is based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley, who in 1955 risked her life to find justice after her 14-year-old son Emmett was brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chose to bear her pain on the world’s stage, emerging as an activist for justice and igniting the American civil rights movement as we know it today.

The six-part miniseries has a 91% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Women Of The Movement stars,

  • Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren as Mamie,
  • Emmett is played by Cedric Joe (from Space Jam: A New Legacy). 

Adrienne won a 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the iconic Tina Turner in Broadway’s Tina. 

“They are both fighters in their individual ways — because they had to be, not necessarily because they wanted to be, which I think is important, especially when you’re bringing light to stories, specifically, about Black women. Black women are often seen as, ‘Oh, they’re warriors or fighters and they’re so resilient.’ But there are many times where people don’t want to be in those situations, but they have to rise to the occasion because of their circumstances,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Women Of The Movement is directed by four pioneering Black women directors –

  • Black Reel winners Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard, Love & Basketball
  • Tina Mabry (Pose), 
  • Black Reel nominees Kasi Lemmons (Harriet, Eve’s Bayou
  • Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust

A star-studded cast that includes, 

  • Tony winner Tonya Pinkins
  • Emmy winners Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fargo
  • Gil Bellows (American Gods, The Shawshank Redemption), 
  • Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (The Haunting of Hill House)
  • Critics Choice nominee Joshua Caleb Johnson (The Good Lord Bird)
  • Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Chirisa (Antebellum, Palm Springs). 

Although there’s no word as yet on Season two , Women of the Movement was developed as an anthology series. 

WATCH THE ‘WOMEN OF MOVEMENT’ TRAILER HERE 

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