Judas and the Black Messiah screening at Kehrein Center for the Arts

Catalyst Circle Rock’s Kehrein Center for the Arts held a socially distanced, advanced screening of the film Judas and the Black Messiah on Wednesday.  Judas and the Black Messiah was directed and produced by Shaka King and details the betrayal of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s, at the hands of William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), an FBI informant. The film had its premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on February 1, 2021, and will be released today simultaneously in theaters and digitally on HBO Max. The film was lauded by critics, who praised King's direction, the performances, and its timely themes. For his performance as Fred Hampton, Kaluuya was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actor Guild Awards.

Attending last night’s screening was Fred Hampton, Jr. and his Mother, Akua Njeri, who was with Hampton the night he was killed in a police raid in December of 1969.  Both shared their thoughts and engaged the limited audience in conversation after the movie.