Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story

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Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDenise Dowse
Written byEricka Nicole Malone
Produced by
  • Vince Allen
  • Reshaun Frear
Starring
CinematographyEduardo Ramirez-Gonzalez
Edited by
  • Brian Pratt
  • Dina McCrary
Music by
  • Melvin "Maestro" Lightford
  • Paul Wright III
  • Ledisi
  • Rex Rideout
Production
companies
  • Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment
  • Re'Shaun Frear Productions
Distributed byHulu
Release date
  • September 20, 2022 (2022-09-20)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story is an American biographical musical drama film directed by Denise Dowse (in her directing debut as well as her only directing credit before her death in August 2022) and written by Ericka Nicole Malone. The film stars Ledisi as gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson. Also starring Columbus Short, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Janet Hubert, Vanessa Williams, Corbin Bleu and Keith David. It premiered at the 2022 Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles in April 2022.[1][2] The film later premiered on Hulu on September 20, 2022.[3]

The film received three NAACP Image Awards nomination at the 54th NAACP Image Awards: for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture (Ledisi), and won Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture) (Ericka Nicole Malone).[4]

Cast

Production

Development

On January 9, 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that Ericka Nicole Malone had written a script about Mahalia Jackson.[5] The online new site also announced that respected actress Denise Dowse had signed on to direct the film for Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment.[5] Malone also served as executive producer along with Phillip E. Robinson.[5] Vince Allen and Reshaun Frear came on board as producers along with Frear's production company Re'Shaun Frear Productions.

Troy "Big Riff" Taylor and Tracey Baumert signed on as first assistant directors, and Chris Jackson, Curtis Case, Allie Tolman, Nikki Hoard, and Chris Wayne were second assistant directors for scenes that needed to be reshoot.

Casting

Mahalia Jackson (left) was portrayed by Ledisi (right).

Casting decisions were made by Phaedra Harris. On January 9, 2021, Deadline Hollywood announced that Ledisi, Columbus Short, Janet Hubert, and Wendy Raquel Robinson were cast in the film.[5] In the same article, Deadline Hollywood announced Ledisi had been cast as the lead role Mahalia Jackson,[5] a role she reprises from the historical drama film Selma (2014).[6] Short was also announced to be cast as Martin Luther King Jr.[5]

Ledisi originally declined the offer to reprise the role but ultimately accepted the role. In preparation for the role, Ledisi was required to gain at least forty pounds.[6] She also further studied Jackson's singing, personality, and her relationship with Martin Luther King Jr..[7] Ledisi stated, "I hung out with a few pastors to understand the purpose of 'Jericho' and studied the Bible a little more. Preparation was really going into deep study of the spiritual work because she was anointed. She could have easily done R&B and other styles of music. And she loved Bessie Smith. Her phrasing was like jazz music, the way she sang. I really studied her technique, and it was very hard to figure out all of that."[8]

Columbus Short commented "It's truly a great honor to portray a man that has made such an indelible impact on society and to all of ours lives."[5][9]

Music

Melvin "Maestro" Lightford and Paul Wright III composed the score for the film. Production was unable to license any songs from Jackson's personal catalog of music.[10] Songs that were covered by Jackson were used for the soundtrack. The soundtrack album The Mahalia Jackson Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was produced by Ledisi, Rex Rideout, Melvin "Maestro" Lightford, and Paul Wright III and released on November 18, 2022.[11] "Faith to Carry Me", performed by Ledisi, BeBe Winans, and Donald Lawrence, was released as a single. Promotional music videos for the songs "Welcome Home", "La Di Da", "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho", "I've Been Buked", "I Must Tell Jesus", "How I Got Over", "Great Is Thy Faithfulness", "Get Away Jordan", and "Amazing Grace" were released to YouTube.[12]

Release

Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story premiered at the 2022 Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles on April 19, 2022.[1][2] In late September 2022, the production team closed a multi-year licensing deal with Hulu and Multicom Entertainment Group in conjunction with Simon Barnes and Mili Cumic's Locomotive Entertainment. In the same month, the film aired on American subscription streaming media network Hulu. The film was released to home video on December 7, 2022.[13][14]

Accolades

Ceremony Year Category Recipient Result Ref
Africa Movie Academy Awards 2022 Best Diaspora Narrative Feature Won [15]
Black Reel Awards 2023 Outstanding Original Soundtrack Nominated
[16]
Dove Awards Feature Film of the Year Nominated
[17]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Breakthrough Creative Ericka Nicole Malone Won [18]
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture Ledisi Nominated
[4]
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture Nominated
[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "PAFF Announces the World Premiere of "Remember Me" The Mahalia Jackson Story As Opening Night Selection - Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF)". March 29, 2022. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Monique. "'Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story' Starring Ledisi As The Singer And Columbus Short As MLK To Premiere At PAFF". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on 2022-11-13. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  3. ^ News, E. I. N.; Barker, Stacey (October 4, 2022). "Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story Closes Multi-Year Licensing Deal and Launches Exclusively on Hulu". EIN News. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ a b c Jackson, Angelique (January 12, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary,' 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King' Dominate NAACP Image Award Nominations". Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g N'Duka, Amanda (January 20, 2021). "Singer Ledisi To Play Gospel Music Icon & Martin Luther King Jr. Companion Mahalia Jackson In 'Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story'". Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Ledisi Gained More Than 40 Lbs To Play Mahalia Jackson In 'Remember Me'". Archived from the original on 2022-11-13. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  7. ^ Ledisi on Selma: I Was Proud and Afraid to Play Mahalia Jackson. BET. Retrieved on June 18, 2024
  8. ^ Sultry Singer and Actress Ledisi Packs on 40 Pounds to Portray Gospel Legend Mahalia Jackson. Shine My Crown. Retrieved on June 18, 2024
  9. ^ Columbus Short Set to Portray Martin Luther King, Jr. in Upcoming Biopic. TV One. Retrieved on June 18, 2024
  10. ^ Ledisi as Mahalia Jackson: Ericka Nicole Malone Writes a Woman Ahead of her Time. Golden Globes. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
  11. ^ The Mahalia Jackson Story (Original Soundtrack) by Various Artists on Apple Music. Apple Music. Retrieved on June 18, 2024
  12. ^ Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story (YouTube Channel). YouTube. Retrieved on June 18, 2024
  13. ^ Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story JB Hi-Fi. JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
  14. ^ Buy Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story on DVD. Sanity. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
  15. ^ Here’s the Full List of Winners at AMAA 2022. Bella Naija. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
  16. ^ Black Reel Awards 2023 Nominees. Black Reel Awards. Retrieved on June 19, 2024
  17. ^ Dove Awards 2023 Nominees. Dove Awards. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
  18. ^ Angela Bassett, Beyonce Top 2023 NAACP Image Awards (Full List of Winners). Billboard. Retrieved on June 20, 2024
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