14-03-2025
Tampa Theatre to host screening of Oscar-nominated "Nickel Boys," Q&A
The Tampa Theatre will host a special screening of "Nickel Boys" on March 22, followed by a discussion with filmmaker RaMell Ross, forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle and journalist Ben Montgomery.
Why it matters: The film adapts Colson Whitehead's award-winning novel, a fictional portrayal of the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, where students suffered horrific abuse for over a century.
"Nickel Boys" had a limited theatrical run last year and was nominated this month for Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Zoom in: The film tells the story of Elwood Curtis, a Black teenager from Jim Crow-era Tallahassee, and his friend Turner as they navigate Nickel, an abusive reform school in Florida.
Flashback: The Tampa Bay Times series, " For Their Own Good," written by Montgomery and former Times reporter Waveney Ann Moore, inspired Whitehead's novel.
For 109 years, Florida sent wayward boys from across the state to Dozier — and the series chronicled the men who survived the school and demanded acknowledgment, resolution and reparation.
Dozier closed in 2011, and soon after, researchers from USF found the remains of children in unmarked graves at the school.
The big picture: Attendees will have the chance to hear from the filmmaker, along with the reporter and researcher who helped uncover the real story.
The Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology and Applied Science (IFAAS) at USF partnered with Orion Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios for the special screening.
The event is free, and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
