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Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood began their careers in television before moving on to feature films. And the couple had absolutely no intention of going back.
But Imagine Entertainment and Fox made them an offer they couldn't refuse — make a 10-hour limited series about police shootings, race relations, government corruption and the personal stories behind it all.
"We weren't looking to go back to TV, but the chance to do a show like this was a perfect opportunity to use our art as a weapon and speak to what is going on," Gina Prince-Bythewood said. "And the creative freedom that we had was really great. We got to tell the story that we wanted to tell."
The result is "ShotsFired," which will premiere (in an abbreviated form) at the Sundance Film Festival before airing on the Fox television network beginning in March.
"The fact that they wanted to do that was surprising to both of us," said Prince-Bythewood, who began her career writing for series like "Felicity" and "A Different World" — her husband also worked on "World," as well as shows like "New York Undercover."
"Shots Fired" is an unflinching story that begins when a white teenager is shot and killed by a black police officer (Mack Wilds, "The Wire") in a small North Carolina town. A federal investigator (Sanaa Lathan, "Love and Basketball") and federal prosecutor (Stephan James, "Race") are sent to investigate — and they discover a link to an unsolved, and apparently uninvestigated, shooting of a black teenager that may involve the town's nearly all-white police force.
Work began on the project more than a year ago, and executive producer Francie Calfo said she "never dreamed" it would feel so current in 2017.
"It's just a heightened time and people feel so passionate and defensive and angry on every side," she said. "At the end of the day, we feel like it's going to promote more of that conversation."
"Art can be very cathartic," Lathan said. "This country right now, it needs a lot of healing."
"Shots Fired" is a very personal project for the Bythewoods, partly inspired by their son. When George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, 12-year-old Cassius "cried and was in disbelief," said Reggie. "And instead of hugging and consoling him, I pulled out his laptop and showed him a documentary on Emmett Till. I just really wanted him to know that this hadn't just happened — Emmett Till was killed in 1955 at 14 years old."
Cassius wrote a short story about that, which was incorporated into the fifth hour of "Shots Fired."
"It's an issue that we had really been dealing with with our kids," said Reggie, whose grandfather, a police officer, taught him how to drive and "what to do when — not if — a racist cop pulls you over. It's something that has already been a part of our fabric."
It's a bit of a surprise to see a network TV drama being screened at Sundance. It's even more surprising to see it on Fox, which has nothing like it on its schedule.
"It's very outside the box," said executive producer Brian Grazer, an Oscar winner ("A Beautiful Mind") who co-founded Imagine with Ron Howard. "It's kind of a brave thing for Fox to do.
"And being recognized by Sundance is huge. Having the opportunity to launch there really can become flammable. So we're really fortunate that our 10-part, limited series — which I didn't even know they did — was accepted and is going to premiere there."
(Sundance will screen Episode 1; selected scenes from Episodes, 2, 3, 4 and 5; and Episode 6.)
"It really did just elevate the overall presence and enthusiasm for the show," said Calfo. "Because it's so hard to get noticed. There's so much great stuff being done."
Grazer isn't the only one who was surprised to learn that, yes, the film festival does screen a few TV projects.
"Honestly, it blew me away," said James. "I was like, 'Wow, we really made our 10-hour movie and now it's going to be at a film festival.' I think it's incredible."
"We premiered 'Love and Basketball' there almost 20 years ago," said Lathan, "but I was, like, 'I didn't know Sundance did TV.' "
(The large cast of "Shots Fired" includes Oscar and Emmy winner Helen Hunt, Oscar winner Richard Dreyfus, Stephen Moyer, Aisha Hinds, Will Patton, Conor Leslie, Clare-Hope Ashitey, DeWanda Wise and Jill Hennessy.)
The Bythewoods submitted "Shots Fired" to the film festival, and it certainly didn't hurt that it feels so current. During filming, a white police officer shot and killed Philando Castile, a black man, during a traffic stop in Minnesota.
"I remember Gina had to come and console me the day of the Philando Castile situation," said Wilds, "because that day I had to put on my uniform and I couldn't even stand to look at it."
There were plenty of intense feelings behind the scenes to match the intense feelings in the narrative.
"It's about speaking to the truth," Prince-Bythewood said. "It's very easy for people to watch the news and see a piece about a shooting, and if you don't identify with who's on the screen, you turn it off. So we felt the best way to address this issue for us and to get people who don't normally go through this issue to understand was to give them a way in and give them a way to understand."
"Shots Fired" isn't competing for any prizes at Sundance — there's no TV competition at the film festival — but the feeling is that screening there "kind of validated us, even though we've been operating on this kind of personal passion on this project," Calfo said. "And then to get that feeling — 'We're going to Sundance? With a TV show? This is amazing.' It was a huge celebration."
spierce@sltrib.com
Twitter @ScottDPierce
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At Sundance
"Shots Fired" will premiere Wednesday, at 8:30 p.m. at The MARC in Park City. Sundance will screen Episode 1; selected scenes from Episodes, 2, 3, 4 and 5; and Episode 6, followed by a Q&A with the directors and creators. The series is scheduled to premiere on Fox on March 22.
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More TV at Sundance
Here are a few of the festival's Special Events showcasing episodic and documentary series. For a list of all screenings and ticket information, visit sundance.org.
"Downward Dog" • Nan (Allison Tolman) is a struggling millennial in this comedy (being produced by ABC) narrated and observed by her lonely and philosophical dog, Martin. The festival will premiere the first four episodes of the series, followed by an extended Q&A, Sunday, 11:15 a.m. at Egyptian Theatre in Park City, and Tuesday, 9 p.m., Salt Lake City Library Theatre.
"The History of Comedy" • CNN is making this eight-part documentary series (due to air in 2017), mixing archival footage and current interviews to cover not only what makes people laugh but how comedy has affected the social and political landscape. The festival will premiere two episodes followed by an extended Q&A, Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City, and Saturday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m., Salt Lake City Library Theatre.
"I Love Dick" • A married couple (Kathryn Hahn and Griffin Dunne), part of the intellectual community of Marfa, Texas, find their relationship tested when they both fall for a charismatic artist, Dick (Kevin Bacon). Jill Soloway ("Transparent") is the creator of this Amazon original series. The festival will screen the first three episodes (the pilot also is available on Amazon), followed by an extended Q&A, Monday, 2:45 p.m., The MARC in Park City, and Wednesday, 9 p.m., Salt Lake City Library Theatre.
"Rise" • (Canada) An eight-part documentary series, written and directed by Michelle Latimer, explores the front lines of indigenous resistance, looking at how American Indian and Indigenous communities are working to protect their homelands and fighting back against threats to their survival. The festival will screen three episodes followed by an extended Q&A, Saturday, 9 p.m., Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City, and Monday, 6:15 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinema 3, Salt Lake City.
• "Time: The Kalief Browder Story" • Director Jenner Furst looks into the life of Kalief Browder, imprisoned at New York's Rikers Island for three years though he was never charged with a crime. The festival will screen the first two episodes of the six-episode documentary series (made for the Spike channel), followed by an extended Q&A, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., The MARC, Park City.
Docuseries Showcase • Episodes from two upcoming series from Netflix, with extended Q&A sessions with the directors, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. at Egyptian Theatre in Park City and Wednesday, 6 p.m., at the Salt Lake City Library Theatre.
• "Abstract: The Art of Design" • A showcase of great designers whose work shapes our world, directed by Morgan Neville ("Twenty Feet From Stardom," SFF '13; "Best of Enemies," SFF '15).
• "Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On" • Actor Rashida Jones is director and executive producer of this series, which examines the explosion of internet porn by profiling the people who make it, consume it, or both.
How to Sundance
When • Thursday to Jan. 29
Where • Park City and venues in Salt Lake City and the Sundance resort in Provo Canyon.
Passes and ticket packages • On sale at sundance.org/festivals. Most are sold out, but some are still available.
Individual tickets • Tickets are $25 for the first half of the festival in Park City (Jan. 19-24), $20 for Salt Lake City screenings and for the second half in Park City (Jan. 25-29).
Information • sundance.org/festivals