New single appears in upcoming film, Till
Grammy Award winner Jazmine Sullivan has released her new and specially penned original song “Stand Up,” for the upcoming, long-anticipated film Till from MGM’s Orion Pictures. A story of a mother’s love for her lynched son was a catalyst for the civil rights movement we know today. Produced and co-written by the Academy Award and Grammy Award winning Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, the uplifting and heartfelt song runs at the final scene and end credits of the film via RCA Records. A tribute to Emmett and Mamie.
The new song focuses on how Mamie Till-Mobley “found her voice and purpose in so much turmoil,” Sullivan shares. “I’m honored to be able to contribute to such a powerful film about such a historic and tragic moment in American history.”
Directed by Chinonye Chukwu with a screenplay by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chukwu, Till tells the heartbreaking true story of the historic lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till — for whistling at a white woman in Money, Mississippi in 1955 — through the eyes of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley.
For Sullivan, creating a song inspired by the film comes from a desire similarly to what makes the film so compelling – it’s told from the perspective and experience of a black woman and is co-written and directed by a black woman. “I wanted the world to see what they did to my boy,” Mamie said at the time. Till-Mobley also gave the exclusive rights to Jet Magazine to publish the images of her son’s maimed body which caused the lynching to gain worldwide notoriety. A mother’s bold courage became a lightning rod in the civil rights movement and propelled her to reluctantly become an outspoken activist for the NAACP advocating for social justice and education. The film brings a focus on the strength and courage of Mamie-Till Mobley that will live on forever and inspires us all to be better and live in empathy and acceptance.
“It was a genuine dream come true to have Jazmine Sullivan pen and perform ‘Stand Up’ as the end credit song of Till,” says Chukwu. “A passionate artist and activist, Jazmine delivers an anthem for justice and hope; one that ignites a fire to rise up for all people whose lives have been senselessly cut short because of America’s deep rooted and white supremacy.”
Co-written, directed and executive produced by Chinonye Chukwu, the film stars Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall), Jalyn Hall (All American), Haley Bennett (Cyrano), John Douglas Thompson (The Gilded Age), Tosin Cole (upcoming House Party), Jayme Lawson (The Woman King), Roger Guenveur Smith (K Street), Frankie Faison (The Wire), and legendary EGOT award-winner, Whoopi Goldberg. Till made its world premiere during the opening weekend of the 60th New York Film Festival as a Spotlight presentation at Lincoln Center to critical praise. The film will open in select theaters on October 14th before a nationwide release beginning on October 28th.
In bringing Mamie Till-Mobley’s story to the big screen, Till will also shed light the incredible work the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation has been doing in continuing the work Mamie Till-Mobley began. The foundation now carries out her mission, by learning from the past, activating in the present and building towards a better future. This is how we turn heartache to hope and spring into action.
