‘Emancipation’ producer apologizes for bringing photo of enslaved man to premiere

“Emancipation” producer Joey McFarland has apologized for bringing the original 1863 “scourged back” photo of an enslaved man to the film’s Los Angeles premiere last month. While speaking with Variety on the “Emancipation” red carpet, McFarland displayed the “original photograph” of Peter and said he “took it upon” himself to “curate and build a collection” of historical artifacts “for future generations.” Some accused McFarland — who noted that he has been collecting for a “very long time” — of having a “white savior complex” and hoarding pieces of Black history. On Twitter, Franklin Leonard — a producer and founder of the respected Black List of best unproduced screenplays — questioned why McFarland would even “own” such a picture, let alone bring it to “the red carpet of a movie that’s personally enriching” him. In his apology statement, McFarland claimed that his “plan was always to donate the photographs to the appropriate institution, in consultation with the community.” He added that he had determined “there is no better time to begin that process than now.” “Throughout the research and development of Emancipation, I discovered photographs of overlooked and historically important individuals whose stories also needed to be told,” McFarland said in his statement.