Jordan Peele has been saying that his highly anticipated sophomore film Us is nothing like Get Out, in that it doesn’t center race in the same way. But having a whole Black family at the center of a horror film (a genre in which we’ve been historically erased or marginalized) is inherently iconic. Peele must know as much, and how significant this moment is for Black entertainers, press and lovers of the genre, so as Us was making its world premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas, there were several screenings of Us specifically for Black media and Black influencers held across the country: in LA, Atlanta and New York.

Called #UsFirst, the screening began with a message from Peele and the film’s two stars, Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, sharing how important it was to them that Black audiences got a chance to experience Us first. This screening series is on the heels of Peele’s announcement that he would host a screening of the film at Howard University before the film’s box office debut.

Reps from Shadow And Act were present at both the SXSW premiere in Austin and the LA #UsFirst screening, which was attended by Ryan Coogler, Janelle Monae, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Lakeith Stanfield and more. Check out some pics from the LA screening:

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