Event marked the presence of Hollywood A-listers such as Denzel Washington, Jennifer Hudson, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others.
- Dec 13, 2007
AceShowbiz - A bunch of lauded names in Hollywood film industry illuminated Hollywood's Arclight Cinerama Dome as they all gathered up on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 for the premiere of "The Great Debaters", a production of The Weinstein Company set for theatrical release on Christmas Day this year.
Leading star and director Denzel Washington cheerfully showed up alongside beloved wife Pauletta Washington before taking his time to pose together with producer Oprah Winfrey, who sported a beaded Oscar de la Renta gown that night.
Lauded the drama to be "the feel-good, make-you-feel-hopeful alternative", Winfrey revealed to journalists surrounding her the reason behind her eagerness to back up the movie.
"I appreciate all different kinds of film but if I'm going to actually produce a film, go through what it takes to do that, I want to do something that's meaningful to me," so she said. "That's why I did this film because when I first read the script I thought that something was there. I didn't know the something was as deep as what Denzel was able to find but I knew something was there."
Washington's co-stars like Nate Parker, Denzel Whitaker, and Kimberly Elise were also spotted to be present at the screening, minus Forest Whitaker, who had to pass the event due to his hectic shooting schedule. The pack were joined by starry group consisting of Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, and Tyler Perry as well as Samuel L. Jackson plus wife LaTanya Richardson.
Based on the true story of Melvin B Tolson, "Debaters" centers on the man's effort in forming a debate team at Wiley College that surprisingly beat the reigning national champion team from the University of Southern California in 1935. Pic just got announced to be honored the Stanley Kramer Award by the Producers Guild of America with the prize to be handed out at the 19 th annual PGA Awards ceremony held on February 2, 2008.
