**I received a complimentary screener to view and share my thoughts courtesy of Grace Hill Media. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
“That act of forgiving people is the greatest act of love that one can experience”
“That act of forgiving people is the greatest act of love that one can experience”
-Emanuel
National headlines blazed the story: Churchgoers Gunned Down During Prayer Service in Charleston, South Carolina. After a 21-year-old white supremacist opened fire in the church, nine African Americans lay dead—leaving their families and the nation to grapple with this senseless act of terror.
Forty-eight hours later, in the midst of unspeakable grief and suffering, the families of the Emanuel Nine stood in court facing the killer … and offered words of forgiveness. Their demonstration of grace ushered the way for hope and healing across a city and the nation.
It’s the story that rocked a city and a nation as it happened … and in the days that followed. Marking the fourth anniversary of the event, executive producers Stephen Curry and Viola Davis, co-producer Mariska Hargitay, and director Brian Ivie (The Drop Box) present EMANUEL. The documentary powerfully weaves the history of race relations in Charleston, the significance and impact of Mother Emanuel Church, and the hope that somehow emerges in the aftermath.
Featuring intimate interviews with survivors and family members, EMANUEL is a poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, examining the healing power of forgiveness. Marking the fourth anniversary, EMANUEL will be in movie theaters across the country for two nights only: June 17 and 19.
PLEASE NOTE: All producers’ proceeds from EMANUEL will go to the victims’ families and the survivors.
For so many of us- myself included- we see our church as a refuge. When everything is going crazy in the world around us, we love having this place we feel safe, a place to go to worship God and spend time in fellowship. We can never imagine as we step through those doors that such a terror could be awaiting like that in the events of June 2015 at Emanuel Church. It's absolutely devastating.
The stories told in Emanuel are stories that need to be heard. So often when we talk about these mass shootings, the focus goes to one or two places. The first of course, being the politics of gun control. The other goes to the shooter. It is often said that this is such a mistake. By drawing attention to the shooter, they're made famous. Whether it's for good or bad, sadly we live in a world where some want that fame regardless of how it comes by. So, some might say...why make a movie about this event? Doesn't that again give this shooter more fame?
But this isn't a story of the shooter. Not at all. Of course, his name is given, his image and video shown, his motives and story shared. But more than that, it focused on the victims and their families. It is, more than anything, a story of forgiveness. In a time when it would be so understandable to be angry, these family members instead offered forgiveness. As Christians, we know that we are supposed to forgive, but to do so under such circumstances? That is a true sign of strength, courage and faith...and a story that- in this world where revenge, hate and ignorance is rampant- is so very needed. This documentary is beautifully done and so powerful! It is not easy to watch, but it is one that needs to be seen.
The stories told in Emanuel are stories that need to be heard. So often when we talk about these mass shootings, the focus goes to one or two places. The first of course, being the politics of gun control. The other goes to the shooter. It is often said that this is such a mistake. By drawing attention to the shooter, they're made famous. Whether it's for good or bad, sadly we live in a world where some want that fame regardless of how it comes by. So, some might say...why make a movie about this event? Doesn't that again give this shooter more fame?
But this isn't a story of the shooter. Not at all. Of course, his name is given, his image and video shown, his motives and story shared. But more than that, it focused on the victims and their families. It is, more than anything, a story of forgiveness. In a time when it would be so understandable to be angry, these family members instead offered forgiveness. As Christians, we know that we are supposed to forgive, but to do so under such circumstances? That is a true sign of strength, courage and faith...and a story that- in this world where revenge, hate and ignorance is rampant- is so very needed. This documentary is beautifully done and so powerful! It is not easy to watch, but it is one that needs to be seen.
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