In his upcoming film, Mike Wiley plays all of the roles.
Wiley, a UNC graduate, will screen his original film “Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till” Monday in Raleigh before its Friday premiere in Los Angeles.
The third of a series, the film originated from a one-act stage play written by Wiley that was performed in 2006 at Chapel Hill’s Deep Dish Theater.
“Dar He” tells the story of Emmett Till, a black man who was killed in 1955 for whistling at a white woman. It also chronicles the trial and acquittal of the murderers.
Wiley said he knew the play was written to be filmed — and he knew just the cinematic elements to utilize.
“We didn’t want it to be kitschy or an actor in drag,” he said. “We wanted it to all be done theatrically.”
Wiley said he was drawn to the story of Emmett Till because the boy was killed while still in his youth.
“He just whistled at a woman who seemed to be lonely,” he said.
The film was made on virtually no budget, said Larry Gardner, the film’s visual effects editor.