SC lawmakers getting exclusive showing of Charleston church shooting documentary
South Carolina lawmakers will be getting an exclusive sneak preview of a documentary about the 2015 shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
Legislators were invited to a showing of “Emanuel: The Untold Story of the Victims and Survivors of the Charleston Church Shooting” at Columbia’s Nickelodeon Theatre Monday at 4 p.m., according to a statement from the theater.
The movie is officially slated for a June 17 release date, the anniversary of the deadly shooting which claimed the lives of nine parishioners, including then-state Sen. Clementa Pinckney. The early showing was available thanks to a sponsorship from former S.C. Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, and a donation from the Honorable Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney Foundation, which was founded in the wake of Pinckney’s death at the Charleston church.
Pinckney’s widow, Jennifer Pinckney, will also be in attendance at the showing.
State Rep. Beth Bernstein, D-Richland, said she believes it’s important for members of the Legislature to watch the film together.
“It reminds us how destructive hate and bigotry are, but also shows us how a community can come together in times of tragedy and learn to forgive,” the Richland Democrat said, according to the statement.
The film, produced by actress Viola Davis and NBA player Steph Curry, will show in two Columbia theaters: the Regal Sandhill Stadium and the Regal Columbiana Grande Stadium. Tickets are now available.
This story was originally published May 17, 2019 at 2:18 PM.
