Write On with 'Till' Co-Writer-Director Chinonye Chukwu

Based on the true story of Mamie Till, Till follows Mamie as
she seeks justice for the brutal lynching of her son, Emmett
Till. When asked about how she chose to capture Mamie's spirit on
the page, Chukwu says, "It's not just resiliency; it is survival,
it is an active suppression of certain emotions that Black women
are constantly put in a position of having to do; it is a
difference between the public and the private self. Mamie was
acutely aware of that... when I'm constructing scenes, I am
always thinking about masks - who are they when they're all
alone? ... Who is Mamie when she's by herself?"


Chukwu goes on to discuss coping with the weight of telling such
heavy stories: "Writing these stories that I've written so far,
when I write it in a deeply spiritual, all immersive process... I
live, breathe, dream whatever it is that I'm writing, and that
takes a deep emotional and spiritual toll, and I'm not really
good with self-care when I'm writing... Prioritize your own
self-care as well - in the writing and in the aftermath."


Till is now playing in theaters.


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