Director Lionel Coleman shines a light on racial injustices in film ‘These Final Hours’
In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black Americans at the hands of police and private citizens acting as armed militia, director Lionel Coleman decided to turn his built-up emotions into an eye-opening short film, ‘These Finals Hours’ which stars Joseph David-Jones
The Mill collaborated with Lionel and his team to provide VFX work lead by Co-Head of 2D and VFX Supervisor Andrew Pellicer, in which they worked on sky replacements, muzzle flares/blood clean-up, and set replacement. Furthermore, colourist Oisin O’Driscoll graded the film and Chicago Head of Design Patrick Coleman helped craft the title design and credits.
The powerful film won Best Short Film at Sedona International Film Festival and took home awards for Best in Black Voices and Best Global Short at SCAD’s Film Festival. Coleman’s film also earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Short-Form (Live Action) at the 2022 Awards.
Additionally, ‘These Final Hours’ was screened at the 2021 Portland Film Festival, which celebrates the importance of independent voices and cinema in our culture. Following its screening, the film was named a favorite in the Audience Awards category.
“'These Final Hours' was a film I knew I had to direct. It completely touched upon all the pent-up anger and sadness that had been boiling inside of me over the past four years. As an African American male, I wanted to craft a film that depicts the misconceptions and inherent dangers we face just leaving the house each day. At the forefront of my mind before we began filming were Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and the countless others who’ve been victimized for being black in America. Film can be a powerful medium for change and I hope 'These Final Hours' provokes conversation, and creates a pathway for other films that speak to systemic racism and racial injustice everywhere.
When I sent the script to The Mill they immediately joined forces with us and our passion project became their passion project. The tone of the opening title sequence, the realistic nuances their team brought to our visual effects shots, and the stylized color grading is what makes These Final Hours one of the best projects I’ve ever directed. We couldn’t have made this film without the supervision of Andrew Pellicer and the rest of The Mill creative team.”
Learn more about ‘These Finals Hours’ here. Get in touch with our team regarding your upcoming project via our contact page.
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