(AllHipHop News) The period drama Detroit is set for limited theatrical release today (July 28) before extending to a wider market on August 4.
Director Kathryn Bigelow’s critically acclaimed film tells the story of the 1967 killing of three black teenagers at the hands of law enforcement.
That tragedy – which occurred during the city’s 12th Street uprising – came to be known as the Algiers Motel Incident.
Seven other black males and two white females were also beat and/or threatened by police officers that night.
The cast of Detroit includes John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, John Krasinski, Anthony Mackie, Laz Alonso, Tyler James Williams, Malcolm David Kelley, Nathan Davis Jr., and Joseph David-Jones.
Award-winning R&B singer Miguel (credited as Miguel Pimentel) also appears in the movie as a member of The Dramatics.
“Being part of the process from audition to actually having a moment in the film was really inspiring just to see all the talent and then to get the sense of what we were actually auditioning,” expressed Miguel to Billboard. “When we auditioned I had no idea. There was a general script, but it was really our interaction with each other. To see it turn into what it is now, an actual film, is really inspiring.”
While Bigelow’s latest motion picture is set in a time that took place fifty years ago, the issues confronted in Detroit are still relevant to modern America.
The killing of unarmed citizens at the hands of the police became national news over the last several years after the controversial deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tamar Rice, and others.
“The notion that we’ve been doing some bad things to each other for a long time and it’s still happening today… Hopefully this film can inspire more attention, the proper attention to be more cognizant of who we are to each other,” offered Miguel.
K. Bigelow’s @DetroitMovie – w/ @JohnBoyega, @PoulterWill, @itsAlgee & @jacoblatimore – explores the deadly 1967 Algiers Motel police raid. pic.twitter.com/LApTk7jMUw
— Yohance (@HUEYmixwitRILEY) July 27, 2017