This is amazing!!
Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate are partnering to adapt Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Project” for film and television, USA Today reports.
Nikole Hannah-Jones spearheaded “The 1619 Project” for The New York Times in an effort to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to America. The exposé took a deep look into the impact of slavery and how it manifested in every facet of society. The New York Times Magazine published the project in August 2019, eventually releasing it as a podcast as well and Hannah-Jones went on to win a Pulitzer prize for her work.
Now the award winning journalist will be working on developing films, TV series and documentaries inspired by the project with Winfrey coming on as a producer. “We took very seriously our duty to find TV and film partners that would respect and honor the work and mission of ‘The 1619 Project,’ that understood our vision and deep moral obligation to doing justice to these stories,” Hannah-Jones said.
Winfrey is also excited about the project, saying, “From the first moment I read ‘The 1619 Project’ and immersed myself in Nikole Hannah-Jones’ transformative work, I was moved, deepened and strengthened by her empowering historical analysis.”
No word yet on when we can expect the film and television projects to air but a series of books for “The 1619 Project” are currently in the works.
We can’t wait for these projects to be released!
Photo Courtesy of Themba Hadebe(Associated Press)/Brent N. Clarke (FilmMagic)