Based on a true story, the movie follows the life of Peter, an enslaved man who runs away from his plantation in search of his family. He eventually joins the Union Army and during a medical exam, his bare back, which was severely scarred due to a near-fatal whipping by his former plantation's overseer, was photographed and published by The Independent, displaying the barbarity of slavery in America.
“Throughout my career, I’ve turned down many films that were set in slavery,” Smith said at a screening held in early October, per Billboard. “I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along. And this is not a film about slavery. This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith. This is a film about the heart of a man — what could be called the first viral image. Cameras had just been created, and the image of whipped Peter went around the world. It was a rallying cry against slavery, and this was a story that exploded and blossomed in my heart that I wanted to be able to deliver to you in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could deliver.”
Emancipation is set for a December 2 theatrical opening, followed by a December 9 release on Apple TV+.
