In a holiday that is celebrated for more than 100 years by the Black community, this is the first year that Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday.

Director Nia DaCosta for the upcoming remake of Candyman reflects the meaning and message behind Juneteenth. She took the time in a video message to reflect and recognize the new holiday and the reality and possibilities for Black lives in America.

In 1992, Candyman first appeared as a cult classic under Bernard Rose’s direction as a vengeful, mystical entity, victim of a brutal hate crime. He externalizes his pain in the same community that once turned against him.

By bringing Candyman into a new age, Nia DaCosta hopes to bring the legend to a new discussion that appeals to the Black Lives Matter movement and modern civil rights.

Here’s the official synopsis of Candyman:

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terroized by word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status I the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him a collision course with destiny.

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The cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo.

Candyman is in theaters on August 27.

Watch the video message from Nia DaCosta that features sneak peek scenes into the new movie.

Source: Universal Pictures