Historical photo at premiere of "Freeing the Slaves" causes controversy, producer apologizes

According to foreign media Deadline, the premiere of the movie "Freeing the Slaves" was held recently. Producer Joey McFarland showed the historical photo of slaves' "whipped backs" and was controversial. He publicly apologized for this.

Joey McFarland posted on Instagram: "I sincerely apologize to everyone I offended by bringing a photo of Peter to the premiere of 'Freeing the Slaves.' My intention was to honor this remarkable man and remind the public that his actions not only brought change in 1863, but continue to resonate and promote change today."

The historical photo of Peter is a runaway slave who shows scars on his back from years of whipping. Peter's photo and story were the inspiration for the movie "Freeing the Slaves." Before McFarland apologized, his colleagues questioned his purpose in showing the photo: "Why did you bring it to the movie premiere? To respect and preserve it? Do you collect slave memorabilia and plan to donate it after you die? What are you going to do with it?"

McFarland hopes his actions will not affect the film, and he plans to work with the black community to try to donate his collection of historical photos to the "appropriate institutions." McFarland said: "These photos that existed before me will be around long after I am gone, and they belong to the world. My goal is to find the appropriate institutions and make sure people can visit it to commemorate their significance. Most importantly, the people in the photos will be remembered and their stories will be passed down and respected."

"Freeing the Slave" was released in North American theaters on December 2 and was available on Apple+ on December 9. The film stars Will Smith and Ben Foster, with Smith playing Peter, a black man who escaped from slavery after being tortured by slave owners in the southern United States. The film has a real historical background and focuses on Peter's journey to escape from the hands of slave owners. During the journey, he used onions to cover his smell, avoided the pursuers with dogs, and relied on his own strength and wisdom to wade through the swamp barefoot for 10 days...