Get the latest gossip

How RaMell Ross’ ‘Nickel Boys’ Embraces and Expands the Legacy of Stanley Kramer (Guest Column)


RaMell Ross' "Nickel Boys" continues Stanley Kramer's legacy and pays homage to "The Defiant Ones."

In partnership with the African American Film Critics Association, the Karen & Stanley Kramer Social Justice Award has continued that legacy, and this year’s recipient, RaMell Ross’ transcendent “ Nickel Boys ” is nothing if not a reminder of the promise and the power of cinema. Both works, film and novel, expose the tragedy of the Dozier School for Boys, giving voice to the nameless murdered children whose remains, and even childhood toys, were found in unmarked graves on the property in 2016. I’m reminded of Spencer Tracy’s soaring words from Stanley’s 1961 film “Judgement at Nuremberg.” In reading his war crimes verdict as Chief Judge Dan Heywood, he proclaimed, “Before the people of the world, let it now be noted that here, in our decision, this is what we stand for: justice, truth and the value of a single human being.”

Get the Android app

Or read this on Variety

Read more on:

Photo of ramell ross

ramell ross

Photo of stanley kramer

stanley kramer

Related news:

News photo

RaMell Ross & His ‘Nickel Boys’ Team Talk “Surprise” Of Getting Their “Alternative” Colson Whitehead Adaptation Through The Hollywood Studio System — Contenders London

News photo

‘Nickel Boys’ Opens New York Film Festival, Marking RaMell Ross’s Fictional Film Debut: ‘Hopefully This Film Can Be a Proxy For the Real Dozier Boys’

News photo

No One Sees the World Like Nickel Boys Director RaMell Ross