The first-look trailer for the upcoming movie Jane and Emma is making waves, and Deadline is taking notice.
The entertainment news publication featured the first-look trailer the same day it was released on YouTube, discussing the movie and the significance behind it.
The movie depicts the relationship between two great women in Latter-day Saint history: Jane Manning James, one of the first black converts to the Church, and Emma Smith, the wife of the first prophet of the restoration.
Following the friendship of these two women, the film shows how racial and socio-economic walls were crossed in a time when such connections were not common.
“For 136 years, the Mormon Church excluded African-Americans from many of its most cherished religious rites and rituals. Yet, Mormon founder Joseph Smith and his wife Emma took the opposite approach, embracing racial diversity in the early days of the church, at a time when slavery was still an established practice in America. By exploring the friendship between Emma Smith, a white woman, and Jane Manning, a black woman, this film provides a template for how modern Mormons can address and overcome the difficult racial history of the church,” said Arthur VanWagenen, CEO of Excel Entertainment, according to deadline.com. "For those outside of our community— both religious and secular—Jane & Emma presents an opportunity to talk about race, gender, and religion in a healing and constructive way. This is an opportunity to learn what we can do better as Americans when confronting ills in our own society today."
Watch the trailer featured on Deadline below: