KEVIN

WILSON JR.

P&G / Widen the Screen / Grey
States United / Best Unbox Ever With Cayden / Grey
Dear White Parents / Trailer / The Brooklyn Brothers
The Essential Campaign / For Armetta / Film
Crown Royal / The Artist Anthem
My Nephew Emmett / Trailer

'Dear White Parents' Shifts the Burden of Talking about Race to Families with the Privilege to Ignore It

Directed by Kevin Wilson, Jr., Dear White Parents shares an intimate view of enlightening, sometimes uncomfortable, family discussions featuring white parents helping their children understand racism.

"The ad's power hinged on a simple insight: Race is a life-or-death issue for Black families, but white families can ignore it altogether."

- Ad Age

"The weight of these discussions has fallen on Black and Brown parents for centuries. We want to encourage and equip White parents to share in this responsibility.”

- Kevin Wilson, Jr.

Best New Director at AICP Awards 2021



Kevin Wilson, Jr. was named Best New Director at the AICP Awards for his work on the impactful campaign "Widen the Screen" which addresses racism and racial stereotypes. Kevin received a total of three awards at the AICP Awards 2021.

Diversifying the Narrative On and Off Screen


P&G's 'Widen the Screen' is an initiative to question the racial biases and stereotypes the media has led its audience to deem the “normal narrative” of African Americans and Persons of Color. Director Kevin Wilson, Jr. weaves between three ordinary storylines, then narrator Mahershala Ali firmly asks the question “If you think you know how this ends, ask yourself why”.

'Widen the Screen' is a call to action for not only the consumer, but for brands themselves. It recently won a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions 2021 in the category of 'Corporate Purpose and Social Responsibility' as well as a Gold Young Director Award in the category of 'Commercial'. 

Read more in AdAge.

For Armetta

Written and directed by Kevin Wilson, Jr. , For Armetta honors essential Americans, many who have lost their battles with covid and many who are still fighting to keep the country running. Executive produced by Angela Bassett, the piece asks us where will we go when this is over, and to imagine a future where we support this vital group of American workers. Visit the campaign’s website to learn more.

My Nephew Emmett Nominated for Academy Award


Filmmaker Kevin Wilson Jr. is nominated for an Academy Award after winning a Student Academy Award "Best Narrative" for short film My Nephew Emmett.

"I have two young boys and I was very curious about the feeling of having to watch imposters take and torture a child that you’re responsible for.  The feeling of helplessness that not just Mose Wright, but any parent or guardian feels in that situation is one I felt was worth exploring.  It’s a perspective that I’ve not seen very often cinematically."

- Kevin Wilson Jr., Frontunner Magazine


"I met Kevin while teaching him at NYU Grad Film School and saw great promise in him as a visual storyteller. He's grown to become a fine filmmaker with a very strong point of view.  His Oscar Nominated short film 'My Nephew Emmett' shows his ability to craft a compelling, visual story and speak truth to experiences black people are confronted with every day.  To be able to do both through film requires great talent...I have no doubt that he's going to go far in this business, he's got next!"

- Spike Lee

My Nephew Emmett 
Press

"The most accomplished and beautiful of the year's nominees, this NYU pre-thesis film by Kevin Wilson Jr. was inspired by real-life videotaped testimony from the uncle of Emmett Till...Shot mostly in close-up and without sensationalism, My Nephew Emmett movingly captures the old man's mounting dread and sense of powerlessness as he waits out the night in silence until racist thugs arrive. We know how it ended, but Wilson's point is that when racism and inequality are baked into everyday life, their victims are routinely forced to go about expecting the worst."
 
-Ella Taylor, NPR
 


"Wilson treats the story with the intellect and considered beauty that’s typical of the Disciples of Spike."


-Soraya Nadia McDonald, The Undefeated

"Kevin Wilson, Jr. is a rare talent! He has the ability to not only create new worlds and show new perspectives in worlds we think we know via his aesthetic...he has the unique ability to speak an actors language and push them to performances that resonate with anyone who watches his work. He's meticulous. He's gracious. He's constantly in search for truth and his work is a testament to his skill and his love for filmmaking."

- Jay Ellis, Actor HBO's Insecure

Biography.

Kevin Wilson, Jr. is an Oscar Nominated Filmmaker based in New York City. His short film My Nephew Emmett, 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 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 NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and in 2017 was honored with the Spike Lee Production Fellowship. Wilson recently wrapped production on Untold, a Netflix Original docuseries tackling some of the greatest stories in sports. Wilson is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
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