*On Friday, July 6, 20th Century FOX joined this year’s 2018 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans to gear up for the upcoming release of the film, The Hate U Give, in theaters October 19. Fans filled the Center Stage as Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Director George Tillman, Jr. and Author Angie Thomas gathered onstage for a special footage presentation.
In addition, the cast participated in a panel discussion about the film with Kosine, and Director George Tillman, Jr. participated in an-depth panel discussion alongside Regina King and Barry Jenkins.
Highlights of the day include:
- To kick-off the festival, fans enjoyed a special moment with Amandla Stenberg and Regina Hall at Coca-Cola Stage hosted by Fonzworth Bentley. Amandla and Regina guest judged an interactive game titled “For The Record” where festival goers battled head-to-head to guess artist/song title of mashup songs in musical categories such as: Essence 90s and Essence 2010-Today.
- In an exclusive moment at Essence Center Stage, fans had a chance to watch a special footage presentation followed by a Q&A hosted by Essence Entertainment Director, Cori Murray, with the cast, director and author. The crowd was thrilled to hear Angie talk about the title of the book T.H.U.G. and its connection to the hip hop community through the legendary Tupac Shakur.
- Later in the day Amandla, Regina and Russell headed over to the McDonalds stage for a panel discussion about the film with Kosine, co-host of BET’s man cave. Director George Tillman, Jr. also participated in an in-depth panel discussion, Black Behind the Lens: Shaping Our Stories From Script To Screen Panel alongside Regina King and Barry Jenkins on the Essence Empowerment stage. The discussion themed ‘Black Forward” highlighting the evolution of African-American culture.
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