UrbanFaith x Sarah’s Oil Interview
Sarah’s Oil is a true black history story of fame and fortune. Sarah Rector was a young Black girl with tremendous faith who made a fortune becoming the youngest black millionaire in segregated America. Her story is important history that was rarely told until now, and thanks to a committed group of creators, her story is now being told in movie theaters across the country. UrbanFaith sat down with one of the producers of the film Sarah’s Oil, Derrick Williams, to talk about the film’s impact and message of faith and fortune. The film is now playing in theaters everywhere and it is important for us to support and share our history!
More about the film is below.
SARAH’S OIL is a biographical drama inspired by Tonya Bolden’s 2014 book Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America. It tells the extraordinary true story of Sarah Rector, a girl born in the 1900s in Oklahoma Indian Territory, who believed she had oil beneath her inherited land—and was proven right, setting off a battle for ownership and legacy. But Sarah’s story is more than one of wealth: it’s about courage, community, and a fierce belief in her own worth in the face of a society determined to overlook her.
“I think the thing that so appealed about this story is that she is a child,” says writer Betsy Nowrasteh on how the story is framed. This is intrinsically Sarah’s story. “She brings that child’s energy, that child’s hope, and that uncorrupted child’s vision of things. She isn’t cynical, she isn’t skeptical. She just has a clarity of vision that adults lose.”
Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Stoning of Soraya M., The Young Messiah) and co-written with Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, the film assembles a world-class team both behind and in front of the camera. The ensemble cast stars Zachary Levi, Sonequa Martin-Green, Garret Dillahunt, and Bridget Regan, and introduces Naya Desir-Johnson as Sarah Rector. SARAH’S OIL was shot on location in Oklahoma during Summer 2024, with key scenes filmed at historic sites in Okmulgee and Bristow, grounding the narrative in the land and legacy that shaped Sarah’s life.
Sarah’s living descendants have been integral to the development of the film and deep supporters of SARAH’S OIL.
Diane Euston, a family historian who has long documented Sarah’s place in local history, delivered a poignant interview connecting personal legacy with public record. She beautifully summarized Sarah’s spirit by saying: “This movie does such a great job of showing how the story really is about not giving up – and when somebody says no, you go find someone that’s going to say yes. Sarah did not accept ‘no’ in her life. She found a way… she always found a way.”
This film is not just a period drama. It is a powerful rendering of undertold history and a reclaiming of the past — a film powered by the legacy of Sarah Rector, the passion of her descendants, and the joint vision of Amazon MGM Studios, Kingdom Story Company, and Wonder Project.
Coming to theaters November 7, 2025, SARAH’S OIL reminds us that when the world says no, faith finds another way.
“The people who I want to see it the most are little Black girls all over the world,” says Naya, who dazzles in her breakout role. “When they see this, they might be like, ‘Wow, maybe I can do—’ like, if they have a dream in mind, they’ll be like, ‘I can do this too.’”
I am not a normal Stephen King fan. I do not like horror films, I’m not into scary books, I don’t enjoy exploring the paranormal. But this movie was fantastic. It refuses to be pinned down into one category of movie and is not even told in a normal narrative order. But it is one of the most thought-provoking and emotionally inspiring movies I have seen in years. I would highly recommend it for anyone willing to walk into a theater with an open mind.
The Life of Chuck feels incredibly timely. I have struggled watching the news as many people have in our current historical moment. As we see natural disaster after natural disaster, wars and famines, death and destruction in a constant cycle and ignorance in echo chambers many people have responded with exasperation and apathy. Chuck responds head on to the crisis. It explores the Life of Chuck, but the contents of that life are far more expansive than I could have anticipated. Chuck is not a larger-than-life amazing figure on an adventure. He is a mundane and complex man who was once an innocent and awkward boy. The people in his life feel like people I know.
The authenticity of the performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan were so moving. The depth and complexity of young Chuck’s family made my heart ache. I felt moments of pure joy, sadness, fear, wonder, laughter, worry, inspiration, and reflection watching this movie. And Tom Hiddleston made me think and smile. I almost shouted with joy when I saw The Pocket Queen, a young woman drummer, appear on screen. I followed her on social media as a college student and to see her in this movie I was elated. When I heard Nick Offerman and saw Mark Hamill I felt tremendous nostalgia. I’m not sure how Mike Flanagan did such a seamless job balancing both familiarity and wonder. But the impact was palpable. But the questions from this film stick with you. What matters most in our lives? Chuck brings the questions to the forefront.
How should believers live with the destruction and difficulty in the world? We know what eternity holds. But being intentional and joyful about life today is something this movie left me pondering. The movie is rated R, but it is really for about 2 minutes of curse words and some mature themes dealing with death. But I would say anyone with an open mind and reasonable maturity can see this film. I would love my teenager to see it. I would love to watch it with a Bible study group. I highly recommend it as an artistic, intellectual, and emotional experience.
