Stars talk Atlanta-lensed comedy-thriller 'Emergency'

Stars talk Atlanta-filmed movie "Emergency"

In a comedy-thriller, new Amazon studios film "Emergency" was shot right here in Atlanta and follows a trio of college students challenged with whether or not to call the police. It hits theaters tomorrow and will be available to stream on Prime Video on Friday, May 27.

ATLANTA - A night of college partying becomes something far more dangerous in the new Amazon Studios film "Emergency," when three students of color make a startling discovery in their own apartment.

RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, and Sebastian Chacon play the trio of students who discover an unconscious white woman in their living room. The debate over what to do next was a conversation the young actors say they were eager to help play out on the big screen.

"I think being able to see three-dimensional characters with men of color… is not something that you get a chance to see all the time, says Watkins. "So, realizing that this was a special something and not wanting to let that go by."

"With the comedy and then with the high-intensity drama and then with the realness of the perspective of what’s going on in our world – everything jammed into one thing – it’s just such a special project," agrees Sabrina Carpenter, who plays a young woman in search of her missing sister.

"Emergency" began its life as an award-winning short film, which writer KD Dávila says was inspired by real incidents and experiences.

"The movie is very much about perception," says Dávila. "And the fact that when you’re a person of color moving through the world in America, you have this burden of having to anticipate how you’re being perceived."

In expanding the short film to a feature length motion picture, director Carey Williams says Atlanta was an obvious choice when it came to where to make the movie.

"It also felt right just because, having grown up in the South, there was something about posing this in an environment that I’m familiar with, and have had experiences that are similar to what they go through in this night," says Williams.

"Emergency" opens in select theaters on May 20, and will be available to stream on Prime Video on May 27.