MEMPHIS, TN, September 30, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — As Memphis prepares for the October 3, 2026 memorial service of pioneering independent documentary filmmaker and photojournalist George W. Tillman Jr. (1955–2026) five-time World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion, pioneer 35mm filmmaker, and cultural historian Anthony “Amp” Elmore notes: “Although George W. Tillman Jr. was recognized in Memphis and regional media, there is no known record of his life and accomplishments being presented through a nationally distributed news release network. This release brings the story of the pioneering Black Memphis filmmaker to a national audience for the first time.” Anthony “Amp” Elmore notes that this story brings George W. Tillman to the National stage for the 1st time.
Click here to view the Youtube video titled: Anthony “Amp” Elmore Tribute to George W Tillman
Filmmaker Anthony “Amp” Elmore created a 20 minute Youtube Video whereas George W. Tillman tells his own story. Anthony has issued an urgent national call to conscience. Elmore charges that Tillman died in creative and financial anguish—a direct casualty of a publicly funded, segregated cultural apparatus overseen by Memphis Mayor Paul Young, Shelby County leadership, and the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission.
In regards to the betrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. there exists in Memphis, Tennessee a culture of White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism whereas Blacks and Whites in Memphis work in concert to ignore marginalize and erase Black Memphis film history whereas via the November 22, 1987 Los Angeles Time’s issue notes “Films Going into Production: The Contemporary Gladiator The article states Anthony “Amp” Elmore stars, directs, and produces a comedy drama about his own ascent to the pinnacles of the Kickboxing World.
While the 1988 Black Memphis produced film is not only “The 1st Kickboxing Film in World film History” The Contemporary Gladiator is also the 1st Industrial Trade deal between and African Government and an African/American business.
Please note if the city of Memphis erase Black Memphis Film history that is world film history Memphis has no place for a Black film producer like George W. Tillman Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King said “Silence is betrayal” whereas no Black leader in Memphis will speak-up or speak out against this historical injustice of the erasure of Black history in Memphis, whereas Memphis the most majority Black populated city in America has a cotton museum and no Black Memphis history Museum. Anthony “Amp” Elmore from the African/American community of Orange Mound in Memphis created in 1988 the film “The Contemporary Gladiator” which is s the world 1st Kickboxing film in World Film history. The Contemporary Gladiator is a “Heritage Asset.” Which is greater than simple Black History.
A heritage asset is an irreplaceable physical, cultural, or artistic creation that holds measurable, enduring historical significance capable of generating ongoing cultural sovereignty, legal standing, and economic equity for future generations. While “simple Black history” is frequently reduced to passive storytelling—commemorative months, classroom trivia, or symbolic plaques that celebrate past survival without conferring power—a heritage asset serves as functional, institutional capital.
A film like the 1988 independent 35mm production of *The Contemporary Gladiator* is not merely a local milestone; as the world’s first kickboxing film and martial arts biopic, it is a primary-source cultural landmark that proves self-financed Black cinematic ownership, anchors Memphis in global film history, and establishes a tangible legacy that municipal gatekeepers cannot dilute into mere perfunctory folklore.
Black Memphis Filmmaker George W. Tillman, who passed away on September 12 at age 71 after years of physical and financial hardship. George Tillman spent decades operating his camera across church basements, community centers, and grassroots spaces to preserve Black Memphis history that mainstream institutions in Memphis purposefully ignored.
George W. Tillman’s landmark documentaries include The Lucky Eleven: The True Blue Lawmen of 1948 (rescuing the oral histories of Memphis’ first Black police officers who were forced to dress in the basement of a funeral home), The Birth of Soul Music (chronicling the historic Club Paradise legacy alongside civil rights icon Bobby Rush), and Two Million Women Marched.
Despite Tillman actively supporting and campaigning for Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s election, city and county leadership have maintained total administrative silence regarding the lack of equity and institutional support for Black independent cinema—even as the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, directed by Linn Sitler, consumes nearly half a million dollars in annual taxpayer funding primarily subsidizing outside, white-led commercial productions.
The Living Witness of Anthony “Amp” Elmore; “George Tillman did not fail; the City of Memphis failed George Tillman,” states Anthony “Amp” Elmore, who made history in 1988 by writing, directing, producing, scoring, and starring in The Contemporary Gladiator—the first independent 35mm theatrical feature film produced in Memphis Film history.
Anthony “Amp” Elmore notes: “I did not read about George’s suffering in a textbook—I lived it with him.” I watched a clean-living, dedicated Black creator exhaust his health, his finances, and his spirit trying to preserve our sacred stories while our city’s nearly half-million-dollar tax-funded Memphis Shelby County film commission offered him nothing more than perfunctory table scraps and a token screening slot.
Anthony “Amp” Elmore explains that George W. Tillman was a soft spoken man whose deep sincerity was to teach and preserved Black history. Anthony “Amp” Elmore explains that George W. Tillman had no idea that Memphis operates via “The Plantation System” whereas during the 1978 Memphis Police and Fire Strike the Wall Street Journal named Memphis; “A Backwards City with a Plantation Mentality.”
Anthony “Amp” Elmore recalls vividly how George Tillman called upon whom he called “Miss Linn.” Linn Sitler is the Memphis Shelby County Film Commissioner whose position and power in Memphis is a throwback to the old Southern Plantation era whereas a “White Woman” has absolute power of the narrative and film history in Memphis.
What George Tillman did not understand about Memphis and it plantation system he was no more than a “House Boy” to Linn Sitler and the Memphis system would never recognize an equal place for African/American filmmakers in Memphis. Linn Sitler and the Memphis Shelby County Film Commission only supports White Films and White Filmmakers.
In the earlier video “Tyler Perry” spoke truth to power when he explained how he built his own table because the establishment wouldn’t pull out a chair,” Elmore continued. “George Tillman fought to build that table right here in Orange Mound. But he carried to his grave the heavy weight of an administration that consumes our votes, trades off our music, and starves our chroniclers.”
Where the municipal film establishment Memphis Shelby County Film Commission treated George W. Tillman Jr. as a second-class petitioner, the African Cultural Embassy recognizes him by his true rank: an official Posthumous Cultural Ambassador and Orange Mound Cultural Diplomat.
An ambassador carries credentials, and Tillman’s master documentary assets—most notably “The Lucky Eleven: The True Blue Lawmen of 1948” and “The Birth of Soul Music”—serve as his diplomatic badges of honor. On October 24, 2026, during the United Nations Day and Tom Mboya Legacy District commemoration at 1035 Semmes Street in Orange Mound, the African Cultural Embassy will formally add to the legacy of George W. Tillman a “Diplomatic Commission of Cultural Sovereignty”, ensuring his voice travels to the international stage as an enduring heritage asset.
Memorial Service & Community Call to Action George W. Tillman Jr.’s life and enduring contributions will be formally commemorated at a public memorial service:
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026: Time: 11:00 AM CDT: Location: First Baptist Church–Lauderdale, 682 S. Lauderdale St., Memphis, TN 38126
About Us
“If Lions were historians, hunters would no longer be heroes.” This powerful African proverb encapsulates the mission of the Orange Mound News Network (OMNN). Founded by Anthony Amp Elmore, OMNN aims to reclaim and reshape the narrative of Orange Mound through the power of filmmaking, education, and content creation. Our goal is to challenge the negative stereotypes and biased portrayals that have long plagued our community, creating a positive space for family, Black culture, history, and education.
Our Journey and Mission
Orange Mound, established as the first community in America built for Blacks by Blacks, has a rich history often overshadowed by negative stereotypes. Mainstream media and societal biases have painted Orange Mound as a “ghetto,” contributing to a 30% decline in property values while surrounding communities have prospered. The Orange Mound News Network was created to counter this narrative and highlight the true spirit and resilience of our community.
Anthony Amp Elmore
a five-time world karate kickboxing champion, filmmaker, and community activist, has been a beacon of change in Orange Mound. With over five decades of community service, Elmore has dedicated his life to uplifting Orange Mound. From becoming a homeowner at 19, establishing businesses, to founding the Proud Black Buddhist World Association, Elmore’s contributions
have been immense.
Connecting Communities Through Culture and History
Elmore’s journey in cultural diplomacy began when he was invited to Kisumu, Kenya, by Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to attend FESTAC, the largest African and Black Art festival in the world. It was here that Elmore’s vision for a deeper connection between Africans and African Americans took root. During his visit, he engaged with students at ARYA Primary School, performed a song about
Kenya’s founding father Tom Mboya, and proposed a pen pal program that evolved into a robust educational and cultural exchange.
Our journey in African Cultural Diplomacy began in 1990
when the Orange Mound Memphis-produced movie “The Contemporary Gladiator” premiered in Kenya. This marked a significant milestone in Elmore’s mission to foster cultural exchange and understanding. The film’s premiere in Kenya not only showcased Elmore’s work but also solidified his role as a cultural diplomat.
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