by Tim Gordon
The first teaser for the upcoming awards contender, Fences, has been released and it packs a powerful punch with perennials awards winners Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in rare form.
Based on a screenplay from the two-time Pulitzer winner August Wilson and one of his signature works from his “Pittsburgh Cycle,” each set in a different decade, depicting the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century. Fences tells the story of a former Negro league baseball player, set in 1950s Pittsburgh, now working as a waste collector, who struggles to provide for his family and come to terms with the events of his life.
The film is directed by two-time Oscar winner and six-time Black Reel Award winner Washington, who also reprises his Best Actor Tony Award-winning performance from the play, which won three Tonys. Another winner from that Broadway revival was Davis, who reprises her Tony Award-winning Best Actress, Drama performance in this film. The trailer shows that both remain at their dramatic peaks when they have material worthy of their talent.
Directed by Washington and written by August Wilson, based on his play of the same name, the film stars Washington, Viola Davis, Jovan Apedo, Stephen Henderson, Mykelti Williamson, Russell Hornsby, and Saniyya Sidney.
Fences opens, nationwide, on Christmas Day, December 25, 2016.
Check out the trailer, embedded below: