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Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor and Mustafa Shakir have joined Will Smith in Emancipation, the freedom quest tale being directed by Antoine Fuqua for Apple Studios.
Smith plays Peter, a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana during his bid for freedom.
Foster plays Fassel, who doggedly pursues any enslaved person who seeks freedom, including Peter. Bingwa performs the role of Peter’s wife Dodienne, and Owuor plays Gordon, an enslaved man working at the same camp as Peter. Shakir plays Cailloux, a free Black man who serves in the Union Army.
The film, shooting in Louisiana, is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination and which first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as “The Scourged Back,” shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by welts caused by constant whipping by his enslavers.
At the time, that image contributed to a growing public opposition to slavery.
Foster is repped by UTA. Bingwa is repped by Artists First, UTA and Smith & Macdonald Creative.
Owuor is repped by D2 Management and Innovative Artists. Shakir is repped by The Gersh Agency and Robyn Bluestone Management.
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