Emancipation producer apologises after backlash to showing slavery artefact at red carpet

Producer drew criticism after bringing an 1863 photo of a formerly enslaved man to the film’s premiere

Joey McFarland, a producer of the film Emancipation, has apologised after showing a real photo of an enslaved man at the red carpet premiere.

In the Antoine Fuqua-directed historical film, Will Smith plays a man named Peter, who battles through the wild terrain of Louisiana to escape enslavement.

Smith’s character was inspired by a memorable photo of an enslaved man commonly called “Whipped Peter”, which shows his back marked with keloid scars having suffered brutal whippings from enslavers.

At the premiere event for Emancipation last week, McFarland showed the original 1863 photograph of Whipped Peter to the press, telling Variety: “I wanted a piece of Peter to be here tonight.”

However, this action drew criticism from commenters online, who were confused about the producer’s intentions.

In a post to social media on Sunday (4 December), McFarland issued an apology, explaining that he’d meant to honour the man.

“I wholeheartedly apologise to everyone I have offended by bringing a photograph of Peter to the Emancipation premiere,” his caption began.

“My intent was to honour this remarkable man and to remind the general public that his image is not only brought about change in 1863 but still resonates and promotes change today.”

Joey McFarland, a producer of ‘Emancipation’, and Will Smith as ‘Peter’ (Getty / Apple)

When the photo was published at the time, it acted as a catalyst in the movement to abolish slavery due to its clear brutality.

McFarland continued: “After uncovering Peter’s origin story with help from diligent historians, I spent the last few years working with the Emancipation creative time in order to bring his story to life so worldwide audiences would have an opportunity to appreciate his heroism. I hope my actions don’t distract from the film’s message.”

He added that he will soon start the process of figuring out the right institution to donate the artefacts to.

Emancipation will be streaming on Apple TV Plus from Friday 9 December. You can read The Independent’s review here.