On The Cusp, Longlist - Branded, Planet Positive

Widen the Screen

Kevin Wilson Jr.

Chelsea Pictures

Our goal was to provide as many opportunities as possible to Black creators, both in front of and behind the camera. With a cast of 22, a production crew of approximately 50, plus our full post team, we had our work cut out for us. After much research and many referrals, we’re extremely proud that we were able to fulfill our goal and employ Black creators from all disciplines, including our cast, director, DP, editor, colorist, music composer and sound mixer. In addition, over 90% of our Atlanta-based Union production crew was made up of Black creators — and of that, 40% were women. In the end, we successfully and proudly achieved this ambitious goal!

Kevin Wilson, Jr. is an Oscar Nominated and Student Academy Award Winning Filmmaker based in New York City. His short film My Nephew Emmett, a 20 minute short film based on the true story of the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards. It screened at film festivals all over the world including the New York Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and HollyShorts Film Festival. Wilson won the Gold Medal at the 44th Student Academy Awards, a Directors Guild of America Student Film Award and a BAFTA Student Film Award. Wilson's breakout "States United", a PSA aimed to prevent gun violence, launched to critical acclaim including AdWeek's "Spot of the Day." Wilson is a North Carolina native where he studied journalism, got into acting, wrote stageplays and fell in love with filmmaking. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and in 2017 was honored with the Spike Lee Production Fellowship. In February of 2020, Wilson wrapped production on an Untitled Netflix Original Documentary Series. He is currently in development for his debut feature film. Wilson is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.