George Floyd: a biopic authorized by the family is in production
The film will be called Daddy Changed the World and his wife and daughter will be the producers.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd is arrested by the police after they received a call accusing this 46-year-old African-American of having paid with a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Officer Derek Chauvin handcuffs him and controls him on the ground by crushing his neck with his knee – despite multiple repetitions of Floyd complaining that he can no longer breathe. The action lasts nine minutes and results in his death. The video is filmed and goes around social networks, instantly setting the whole world on fire as they see the injustice and systemic racism plaguing the United States.
Riots broke out in the country, demonstrations and peaceful marches were organized and quickly, the cry of fear spread beyond the borders. Movement Black Lives Matter (BLM) is on the march and George Floyd becomes the symbol of police brutality in the United States. Four years later, a film recounting these events is in production.
David Lynch's tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement
Deadline published the announcement a few days before the anniversary of the death. Titled George Floyd: Daddy Changed the World – which we would translate into French as “Dad changed the world”, this dramatic film will approach a biopic by returning to the events which preceded his death and the impact left afterwards. According to the media outlet, George Floyd will not be portrayed as a perfect person, but “as an individual with his own flaws and layers, like the rest of us.”
A bit like Fruitvale Station, by Ryan Coogler? Ten years ago, the future director of Black Panther told, already with Michael B. Jordan in the cast, the last day of a young black American killed by a police officer in the Oakland subway.
The scenario of George Floyd: Daddy Changed the World will be written by Gregory R. Anderson and the production will be carried out neither more nor less by George Floyd's daughter, Gianna Floyd, and his wife Roxie Washington who gave their authorization for this film. The latter declared in a press release:
“We are happy that the world will be able to see the real, lovable, vibrant George that we know. The film will give him humanity, embody the essence of his life and hopefully lead to adoption. the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act It is time to have justice and equality for all (…) The legacy of George Floyd will live on through this film.
Roxie Washington here mentions a law blocked since 2021 in the US Senate and which requires, among other things, that federal forces wear cameras, and that all strangulation techniques be prohibited during arrest.
George Floyd: Daddy Changed the World will also be produced by the studios Radar Pictures, 8 Queens Film and Media and Night Fox Entertainment. On the Night Fox side, we declare:
“The murder of George Floyd was a tragic and shameful moment in our history. This story, while painful, deserves to be told and I am thrilled to be a part of this project.”
For 8 Queens: “By telling the story of George Floyd and highlighting the injustices faced by marginalized communities, I hope to make a difference and create a better future for generations to come.”
The day after his death, the four officers responsible were immediately fired and Chauvin was subsequently charged with second-degree manslaughter, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He ended up being sentenced to twenty-two years in prison in April 2021 and his three colleagues received sentences for complicity.
In the cultural world, the death of George Floyd led many artists to denounce injustices and support the movement. The committed director Spike Lee had also shared at the time on these social networks a short film, 3 Brotherscomparing the deaths of Floyd, Eric Garner (died in 2014) and that of the character Radio Rhaeem in Do The Right Thing.
Spike Lee creates a chilling montage in response to the George Floyd affair
