• Many others questioned why Emancipation film producer Joey McFarland walked the red carpet at the movie’s premiere carrying the chilling image that served as the film’s inspiration.
• According to the movie’s synopsis, Emancipation, which debuts on December 9, was motivated by “the 1863 photographs of ‘Whipped Peter,’ obtained during a Union Army medical inspection, that initially appeared in Harper’s Weekly.”
• As Peter, played by 54-year-old Will Smith, runs from slave hunters and through Louisiana on his road to freedom, he must rely on “his wits, unshakeable faith, and deep love for his family.”

According to McFarland, 50, who attended the event on Wednesday holding the image that served as the inspiration for the movie.

McFarland told the site, “I have the shot; this is the genuine photo from 1863. “I wanted some of Peter to be here tonight,” said the speaker.

#Emancipation producer Joey McFarland brought the original “scourged back” photo from 1863 to the film’s premiere: “I wanted a piece of Peter to be here tonight.” https://www.bolnews.com/entertainment/hollywood/2022/12/emancipation-producer-joey-mcfarland-criticized/amp/ pic.twitter.com/kDJCndFJnM

— Variety (@Variety) December 1, 2022

Added he, “Sad to say, a great deal of artefacts and images have not been maintained, curated, or treated with respect. And I decided to create a library and curate it for future generations.”

McFarland claimed to be a longstanding collector and that after his passing, he intends to donate the pictures “for educational purposes.”

“It’s worth fighting for, it’s worth maintaining, it’s worth seeking out and safeguarding,” he added, “and that’s what I attempted to do. My love of history, my love of truth, my love of larger-than-life people who had an impact on not just certain people’s lives but the world.”

Emancipation, he continued, “serves as a lesson” and goes beyond “entertainment” and “film.”

“It is a necessary conversation that must begin, continue, keep expanding, and evolve. Just get everyone together, “said he. In order to prevent future generations from making the same error, we must take account of the past.

I need some real time to process this information. https://www.bolnews.com/entertainment/hollywood/2022/12/emancipation-producer-joey-mcfarland-criticized/amp/

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 1, 2022

According to The Hollywood Reporter, McFarland, who was carrying the image in a small plastic container, claimed to be a collector of old photographs from the 1800s.

The “The Scourged Back” shot, which McFarland cited as having the greatest impact, was one of the images in the collection, according to THR. According to the movie’s summary, the image depicts Peter’s injured back following a harsh beating by his captors and “ultimately contributed to growing popular resistance to slavery.”

Creator of the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite April Reign also expressed her unease after looking into McFarland’s collection on Instagram.

“I went to Instagram after reading the thread by @franklinleonard. Imagine my dismay when I saw that @JoeyMcFarland, the producer of #Emancipation, had branded his recently acquired images of enslaved people as the #McFarlandCollection and started uploading immediately after @Emancipation finished filming “She composed.

Another commenter on Twitter called McFarland’s possession of the images “beyond horrible” and advised him to engage in “self reflection” after returning them.

Another person said, “I sincerely hope @JoeyMcFarland sees how horribly inappropriate this is.” “Although I won’t hold my breath, what are you doing with this photo in your pocket? Please choose your actions more wisely.”

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