Emmett Till’s Family Said To Be Saddened By Oscars Snubbing ‘Till’ Biopic

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominations earlier this week. However, the 2022 biographical drama Till was not listed among the potential winners.

Till is based on the true story of Mamie Till-Bradley seeking justice for her murdered 14-year-old son Emmett Till in 1955. Danielle Deadwyler’s portrayal of Mamie received rave reviews from movie critics.

However, Danielle Deadwyler did not make it into the Best Actress category for the 95th Academy Awards. AMPAS also snubbed the film for Best Picture, Best Director, and every other category.

According to TMZ, the Till family feels “saddened” and “extremely disappointed” by the Academy’s lack of recognition for Till. Deborah Watts, Emmett Till Legacy Foundation co-founder/Emmett’s cousin, gave a statement to the outlet. 

“[Deadwyler] embodied and delivered the true essence of our cousin, a loving and courageous mother, Mamie Till Mobley,” said Deborah Watts. “She reached deeply and poured her heart and soul in this role as she embraced us intimately like no other while transforming into Mamie and bringing her true essence and story to life.”

Deadwyler’s Till Performance Earned Nods At Numerous Other Award Shows

Till did pick up an Outstanding Lead Performance win for Danielle Deadwyler at the Gotham Independent Film Awards. The Atlanta native also scored nominations at the Black Reel Awards, Satellite Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.

Additionally, Till director Chinonye Chukwu took to Instagram to share her thoughts about racism and sexism in Hollywood. Chukwu specifically focused her attention on the treatment of Black women in the film industry.

“We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” wrote Chinonye Chukwu on the social media platform.

The filmmaker continued, “And yet. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance. ✊🏽.”

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