Emancipation producer apologises after backlash to showing slavery artefact at red carpet
Producer drew criticism after bringing an 1863 photo of a formerly enslaved man to the film’s premiere
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Joey McFarland, a producer of the film Emancipation, has apologised after showing a real photo of an enslaved man at the red carpet premiere.
In the Antoine Fuqua-directed historical film, Will Smith plays a man named Peter, who battles through the wild terrain of Louisiana to escape enslavement.
Smith’s character was inspired by a memorable photo of an enslaved man commonly called “Whipped Peter”, which shows his back marked with keloid scars having suffered brutal whippings from enslavers.
At the premiere event for Emancipation last week, McFarland showed the original 1863 photograph of Whipped Peter to the press, telling Variety: “I wanted a piece of Peter to be here tonight.”
However, this action drew criticism from commenters online, who were confused about the producer’s intentions.
In a post to social media on Sunday (4 December), McFarland issued an apology, explaining that he’d meant to honour the man.
“I wholeheartedly apologise to everyone I have offended by bringing a photograph of Peter to the Emancipation premiere,” his caption began.
“My intent was to honour this remarkable man and to remind the general public that his image is not only brought about change in 1863 but still resonates and promotes change today.”
When the photo was published at the time, it acted as a catalyst in the movement to abolish slavery due to its clear brutality.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
McFarland continued: “After uncovering Peter’s origin story with help from diligent historians, I spent the last few years working with the Emancipation creative time in order to bring his story to life so worldwide audiences would have an opportunity to appreciate his heroism. I hope my actions don’t distract from the film’s message.”
He added that he will soon start the process of figuring out the right institution to donate the artefacts to.
Emancipation will be streaming on Apple TV Plus from Friday 9 December. You can read The Independent’s review here.