is representing international sales when the package is introduced at the virtual Cannes market.
“It was the first viral image of the brutality of slavery that the world saw,” Fuqua told me. “Which is interesting, when you put it into perspective with today and social media and what the world is seeing, again. You can’t fix the past, but you can remind people of the past and I think we have to, in an accurate, real way. We all have to look for a brighter future for us all, for everyone. That’s one of the most important reasons to do things right now, is show our history.
“It’s almost two years now from when I first read the script,” he told Deadline. “It hit my heart and my soul in so many ways that are impossible to convey but I think you understand. We’re watching some of the feeling that I had, in the streets right now. There’s sadness, there’s anger, there’s love, faith and hope as well because of what I see young people doing today. They’re doing all the heavy lifting now. Black, white, brown, yellow, you name it.
“The writer, Bill Collage, really went deep into it,” Fuqua said. “Historical documents and also information from Peter’s own diaries that he kept. It’s based on historical fact. When I read the script, I thought, what an amazing journey, a heartbreaking and heart-racing film to have an opportunity to make.
How a picture captured in a moment can change the world. This picture of Peter's back changed the course of the Civil War.