Selma – We Are Movie Geeks

SELMA Screening at Washington University March 29th – Hosted by THE ETHICS PROJECT and PROJECT RAISE THE ROOF

“It is unacceptable that they use their power to keep us voiceless.”

SELMA (2014) starring David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, and Tim Roth screens Wednesday March 29 at The Washington University School of Law Anheuser-Busch Hall (1 Brookings Dr. St. Louis, Missouri 63130) at 6:30pm. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion with historian and law professor, David Konig, psychologist, Dr. Marva Robinson, Ferguson Commissioner and Activist, Rasheen Aldridge, Social Justice Activist, Megan Betts and Dr. Christi Griffin. This is a FREE event. More information can be found HERE

SELMA, the unforgettable true story chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

THE ETHICS PROJECT and PROJECT RAISE THE ROOF host the screening.

Please bring a new or gently used book of any genre written by an African American author. All books will be presented to the Rev.Dr. C.T. Vivian who was a primary catalyst in securing voting rights in Selma. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._T._Vivian for more information on his incredible life of service and courage during the height of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Donated books will be a part of the library he’s establishing in the name of his wife, Octavia Vivian who was a civil rights activist in her own right.

VISIT: Project Raise the Roof at http://projectraisetheroof.org/

VISIT: The Ethics Project and The National Youth Summit at http://www.theethicsproject.org/ and http://www.thenys.com/

WAMG Interview: David Oyelowo – Star of SELMA and CAPTIVE

At the age of 24, David Oyelowo brought his regal bearing to the stage, where he became the first black actor to portray King Henry VI in The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2001 productions of Shakespeare’s trilogy of plays about the king. More recently, he has made a name for himself by taking on American film roles. He played Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oscar-nominated film SELMA, a civil rights activist in THE BUTLER, a villain in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and a member of the Tuskeegee Airmen in RED TAILS.

In his most recent film CAPTIVE, Oyelowo shows his range by taking on another true life character. Brian Nichols is known for his escape and killing spree in the Atlanta, Georgia area in 2005. CAPTIVE is a thrilling drama about the spiritual collision of two broken lives. When Brian Nichols took recovering meth addict Ashley Smith (played in the film by Kate Mara) hostage in her own apartment, she turned for guidance to Rick Warren’s inspirational best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life, sharing the book with the desperate killer.

David Oyelowo was in town promoting CAPTIVE and We Are Movie Geeks sat down and asked him some questions about his career, his new film, and his religious faith.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman September 3rd, 2015

We Are Movie Geeks: Did you have any second thoughts about playing Brian Nichols?

David Oyelowo: I did because I know what it costs me to play these roles. You can’t phone that in. My job is an actor is to fully inhabit the character and when I say that cost, it’s that a character like Brian Nichols, unlike Dr. King, someone I hugely admire and was honored to get to play him, did not have the same draw for obvious reasons. But my job was the same in that the job of an actor is to not judge the character. You have to understand what they do and why they’re doing it so you have to function as a three-dimensional human being that people can’t believe.

WAMG: Were you able to meet Brian Nichols?

DO: No, the nature of his prison sentence means that he cannot have access. But I did meet his mother and that was very intense, as you can imagine. The interesting thing about meeting her was that, even 10 years on, she can’t believe that this is her life and that that was her son. It’s still reverberating for that family.

WAMG: Was there much footage of Brian Nichols for you to study?

DO: Yes, of the trial mainly, not beforehand. My primary source for getting under the skin of Brian was Ashley really. She remembered this event as if it had happened yesterday and she was on set with us quite a lot of the shoot.

WAMG: Did she have much influence on the shoot? Did she make any changes?

DO: She had influence. Not from a creative point of view but more from a factual point of view. I was very keen, because I could not speak to Brian, to make sure that what we were doing felt true, like it was authentic to the experience. It was one of those stories where there is no need to embellish anything. Literally it played like a movie. When you think about the fact that Brian Nichols killed those people, then it was a 45 minute drive to Duluth to go to this apartment complex, and he found his way specifically into her apartment, you couldn’t write to that. So for us it was about sticking to the true story and that was primarily her function for us while we were shooting the film.

WAMG: Do you think your job is an actor with a role like this is to instill sympathy? Brian is introduced killing three people in cold blood, so the sympathy level starts out at zero. Were you trying to raise that sympathy with the audience?

DO: One of the toughest things for me was to make sure that not in any way was this supposed to feel like an exoneration of what he did on that day, but the fact remains that the during those hours, Ashley Smith attributes him with part of why she gained her life back. When he held a gun to her head and told her to take the meth, a drug that she had been a slave to for so long, and she said no, the way she describes it is that she felt God Took over Brian Nichols and said “Do you want to live or do you want to die?, turn away from this thing and take hold of life.” So, regardless of if you’re coming from a faith point of view or not, something miraculous happened here. Something that on paper shouldn’t have. That is something that can only happen, I think, when a degree of humanity is shed between these two people. So yes, the idea at the beginning of the movie is to have him be cold blooded and one of the things that I really struggled with was that you have a guy with no shirt on, a very muscular man, with two guns running around Atlanta. This is the kind of guy we normally think of as an action hero in movies, so the toughest thing was how to make him not seem like Jason Statham them or Jason Bourne. I wouldn’t want to see him as a human being, especially if he did what he did to someone in my family. So my job is to imbue him with a degree of humanity and take a look at these two people. Ashley Smith was a drug addict who had lost custody of her daughter. Her husband had died in a drug-related incident. She was someone you could discard to the scrapheap, But seeing these two broken people together making choices that took them away from the deadly path that they were both on – that can only be born out of humanity.

WAMG: Were you familiar with The Purpose-Drive Life before you got involved in this project?

DO: Yes, I had read it before I knew about this incident and it’d been a very meaningful book to me personally as a Christian. The thing I got for from it is that God’s purpose for my life is way bigger than my purpose for my own life. And that is an extraordinary thing, especially for a pretty ambitious guy like me. And I think that applies here especially for Ashley Smith. She had watched the news that day and had seen this guy running around Atlanta and then at 2 o’clock in the morning, he’s in her apartment. When he broke in she thought this was God’s way of telling her that she deserved death.

WAMG: In The Purpose-Drive Life author Rick Waren says that the great tragedy is not death but life without purpose. Ashley Smith escaped death, so that applies to her. Brian Nichols escaped death too by the jury not giving him the death penalty, so what do you think his purpose is?

DO: I’m a believer in life beyond this life and I think that his purpose is to embrace the fact that he has run out of credit here on earth, but beyond this life there is hope for him. I believe that God is a redemptive God. A God of forgiveness. Ashley was stopped in her journey just before it was the point of no return. But here we are talking about a movie based on her life. That is purpose that came out of that very dark situation. She regained custody of her daughter. She remarried and had a couple of more children. She is now a spokeswoman for Celebrate Recovery. She’s helping people recover from the same addictions that she had. Of course it’s more difficult to find the purpose about what Brian did but at the end of the day, she somehow stopped him in his tracks. Here’s a white woman who understandably should’ve been terrified of this big black guy that broke into her apartment. She made him pancakes. She read a book to him. I was with Brian’s mother when she thanked Ashley for making pancakes for her son which is an extraordinary thing for a mother to say but only a mother would say that. So I think there’s purpose in all of that really.

WAMG: You’re very open about your Christian faith which is kind of rare in Hollywood. Do you ever find that that is an impediment in getting roles? Do you worry about that, or do you care?

DO: I don’t worry about that because I think the only time you should worry is if you are inauthentic. I like to think that the life I lead chimes with the choices I make and who I am. If that’s the case, ultimately people can’t discredit you. I think if you go up and get awards and thank the Lord when you’re doing it, and the next moment you’re getting a DUI, then I think that’s when it’s just intolerable. I try to be authentic in terms of what I do and who I am and ultimately I try to let the work do the talking. I haven’t found it to be something that people resist. I’m sure there are people that know that I’m a person of faith and that may make them feel like they don’t want to work with me and that’s fine as well. There are plenty of people that do.

CAPTIVE opens nationally September 18th. Look for a review here at We Are Movie Geeks.

Ava DuVernay’s SELMA Back In Theaters Friday, March 20

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Paramount Pictures will re-release its Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning film SELMA nationwide for a special encore engagement.

Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film will play in theaters across the U.S. beginning Friday, March 20th.

Tickets are on sale today online and at theater box offices. For a list of theaters and to purchase tickets, visit www.SelmaMovie.com

Moviegoers who purchase a ticket to see SELMA at a participating theater can receive an additional ticket free. This limited time offer is only available at participating theater box offices.

SELMA won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

SELMA, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.

DuVernay’s SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

The film is produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb.

Visit the film’s official site: www.selmamovie.com

Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA on Blu-ray Combo Pack May 5, 2015

Hailed as “extraordinary” (David Denby, The New Yorker), “deeply moving” (Claudia Puig, USA Today) and “a triumph” (A.O. Scott, New York Times), director Ava DuVernay’s powerful drama SELMA debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 5, 2015 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The film arrives two weeks early on Digital HD April 21, 2015.

Embraced by critics and audiences alike, SELMA was named one of the best films of the year by New York Times,New York Post, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Hollywood Reporter and many more. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for John Legend and Common’s compelling tribute “Glory.”

Director Ava DuVernay delivers the “definitive depiction of the 1960s American civil rights movement” (Lou Lumenick, New York Post) with the incredible story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the epic march from Selma to Montgomery to secure equal voting rights in an event that forever altered history.

2015 marks the 50^th anniversary of the legendary march.

David Oyelowo is “mesmerizing” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) as Dr. King and leads an outstanding ensemble cast including Academy Award nominee Oprah Winfrey (1), Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson (2), Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. (3), Academy Award nominee Tim Roth (4), Grammy-winning artist Common (5), Giovanni Ribisi, Carmen Ejogo, and Lorraine Toussaint.

SELMA will be available in a Blu-ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet™ that includes an in-depth exploration of the making of the film, historical newsreels, a video for the Academy Award-winning song “Glory,” featuring John Legend and Common, commentary by director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo, a photo gallery and more.

SELMA Blu-ray Combo Pack

The SELMA Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The combo pack includes access to a Digital HD copy of the film, as well as the following:

Blu-ray

Feature film in high definition
The Road to Selma
Recreating Selma
“Glory” Music Video featuring John Legend and Common
Historical Newsreels
Photo Gallery
Deleted and Extended Scenes
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation
Commentary by director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo
Commentary by director Ava DuVernay, director of photography Bradford Young and editor Spencer Averick

DVD

Feature film in standard definition
National Voting Rights Museum and Institute
Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation

The Blu-ray Combo Pack available for purchase includes a Digital Version of the film that can be accessed through UltraViolet™, a way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them—reliably and securely—to a variety of devices.

SELMA Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The disc includes the feature film in standard definition plus a look at the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute and Selma Student Tickets: Donor Appreciation.

Website: http://www.SelmaMovie.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/selmamovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelmaMovie
Instagram: http://instagram.com/selmamovie
iTunes: http://j.mp/BuySelmaMovieNow
Amazon: http://j.mp/BuySelmaMovie

Paramount Pictures, Pathé and Harpo Films present a Plan B/ Cloud Eight Films/Harpo Films Production in Association with Ingenious Media, an Ava DuVernay film “SELMA.” Executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Nik Bower, Diarmuid McKeown, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, and Nan Morales. Produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Oprah Winfrey. Written by Paul Webb. Directed by Ava DuVernay.

SELMA

Street Date: May 5, 2015 (Blu-ray Combo/DVD/VOD); April 21, 2015 (Digital HD)

SRP: $39.99 U.S. (Blu-ray Combo Pack); $29.99 U.S. (DVD)

U.S. Rating: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language

Canadian Rating: PG for violence and mature theme

¹ Best Picture , Selma, 2014; Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Color Purple, 1985

² Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Michael Clayton, 2007; Best Actor in a Leading Role, In the Bedroom, 2001

³ Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996

⁴ Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Rob Roy, 1995

⁵ Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Southside, 2007

“ACADEMY AWARD^®” and “OSCAR^®” are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

AMERICAN SNIPER Holds Number 1 Spot At Weekend Box Office With Estimated $31.9 Million

There’s no sign of Warner Bros. Pictures’ AMERICAN SNIPER slowing down at the box office.

Estimates have Clint Eastwood‘s drama taking in $31.9 million over this Super Bowl weekend. The Oscar-nominated film has an estimated domestic total of $248 million. The movie, which opened on December 25, 2014, has crossed the $300 million mark globally.

AMERICAN SNIPER is just one the films to be honored tomorrow, February 2, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Nominees Luncheon.

Among the Lead Actor and Actress nominees, Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, Marion Cotillard, Felicity Jones, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne and Reese Witherspoon are expected to attend the pre-Oscars event.

Other Best Picture hopefuls are still plugging along at local and international cinemas. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING’s cumulative numbers stand at $29m domestic, $70.7m worldwide, THE IMITATION GAME’s estimated receipts are $60.6m U.S., internationally $117.6m and BIRDMAN numbers are at $30.9m domestic and $50m worldwide.

SELMA was #11 for the final weekend of January. With a $2.7m take at the U.S. box office (playing at 1,714 locations), director Ava DuVernay’s film has an estimated cumulative total of $43.6 million.

Opening February 1st are SEVENTH SON (Universal Pictures, JUPITER ASCENDING (Warner Bros. Pictures) and THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER (Paramount Pictures).

The top 12 domestic weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015 by Rentrak, are below.

1. American Sniper – Warner Bros. – $31.9M
2. Paddington – The Weinstein Company – $8.5M
3. Project Almanac – Paramount – $8.5M
4. Black Or White – Relativity Media – $6.5M
5. Boy Next Door, The – Universal – $6.1M
6. Wedding Ringer, The – Sony – $5.7M
7. Imitation Game, The – The Weinstein Company – $5.2M
8. Taken 3 – 20th Century Fox – $3.6M
9. Strange Magic – Disney – $3.4M
10. Loft, The – Open Road – $2.9M
11. Selma – Paramount – $2.7M
12. Into The Woods – Disney – $1.9M

Cast And Crew Of Ava DuVernay’s SELMA Make Commemorative March in Selma, Alabama – Photo Essay

People throughout the country today remembered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an American leader of the Civil Rights Movement, with celebrations and marches. He was man who truly changed the U.S. and really made it a better place.

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the filmmakers and cast of the Academy Award-nominated film SELMA joined the residents of Selma, Alabama in a commemorative march yesterday to pay tribute to Dr. King’s contributions to the city and its role in the civil rights movement.

Selma mayor George Evans addressed the community at Selma City Hall with Rev. Dion Culliver of Tabernacle Baptist Church and Rev. Leodis Strong of Brown AME Chapel before the crowd participated in a commemorative march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the historical marches occurred 50 years ago.

Common and John Legend performed their song “Glory” on the historical Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Golden Globe-winning song has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Watch HERE.

It was announced last week that John Legend will sing “America The Beautiful” as part of Super Bowl XLIX pregame festivities at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on Sunday, February 1.

The cast and filmmakers attended a special screening at the Selma Walton Theater for Alabama state officials and the film’s local cast and crew. The Selma Walton Theater is showing free screenings of SELMA throughout the month of January for local citizens.

Director Ava DuVernay, stars David Oyelowo and Common and the film’s producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner participated in a Q&A with select filmmakers and cast moderated by Congresswoman Terri Sewell at Selma High School for local high school students and teachers.

The “Selma for Students” program is providing more than 275,000 free tickets for 7^th, 8^th, and 9^thgraders across the country to see SELMA. For tickets, visit: http://selmastudenttickets.com/

Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

http://www.selmamovie.com/

St. Louis Joins SELMA Movement To Provide Students With Free Tickets To See The Film

An additional 12 locations have joined the growing movement led by African-American business leaders to raise funds for students across the country to see the Academy Award-nominated film “SELMA,” expanding the first-of-its-kind campaign to 25 locations nationwide.

Due to the generous contributions by so many of the country’s most prominent African-American business leaders, more than 275,000 middle and high school students across the U.S. will experience the critically acclaimed film for free at participating theaters while supplies last.

The new locations joining the movement are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Central Florida/Orlando, Connecticut, Detroit, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Montgomery, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and St. Louis.

Rev. Starsky Wilson, President & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation, in St. Louis

“It is important that students are aware of this moment in history and make connections between the struggles of earlier generations and the challenges facing today’s youth,” said Rev. Starsky. “We are grateful to the Ford Foundation and other funders for joining us in this effort. We hope that this film will encourage civic engagement among young people and demonstrate to them that systemic change is possible through cooperative, intentional, and well-planned efforts.”

St. Louis Theaters:

AMC CREVE COEUR 12
MOOLAH THEATRE AND LOUNGE
REGAL ST. LOUIS STADIUM 18 & IMAX
WEHRENBERG O’FALLON 15 CINE

“Paramount Pictures is extremely proud of this film, which is so clearly resonating with audiences young and old,” said Megan Colligan, President, Worldwide Distribution and Marketing, Paramount Pictures. “It’s a testament to the extraordinary talents of Ava DuVernay, David Oyelowo and the entire cast and crew that ‘SELMA’ is being celebrated by communities all over the country.”

The business leaders who are leading the efforts in the new locations are:

Dr. Meria Carstarphen, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools; Dr. Michael Lomax, President & CEO, United Negro College Fund; Hala Moddelmog, President & CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber; and Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, President, Morehouse College, in Atlanta

“This movie is an educational moment for more than 10,000 Atlanta Public Schools students who we are inviting to see this film. I am proud and humbled by the immediate outpouring of support from our Atlanta community who has joined this growing national movement,” said Meria J. Carstarphen, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools and Selma, Alabama native. “Our Atlanta education partners believe in our students, and I am grateful for the opportunity they are providing our students to see one of the most pivotal moments in American history.”

“‘SELMA’ is such an important film for young people to see now in the wake of Ferguson, Cleveland and New York. The struggle for justice is a long one, and Selma is history that a new generation needs to know more fully,” said Lomax. “So, I felt it was imperative to join with others around the country who were raising funds so middle and high school students can see the film, learn their history and be inspired to make civil rights and justice lifelong pursuits.”

Robert F. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, in Austin

“It is of the utmost importance to expose our young people to the courage, compassion and integrity that is brought to life in the film ‘SELMA.’ It illuminates a period of American history that is very relevant today,” said Smith. “Dr. King has been a source of inspiration for me and for many people of all races and ethnicities. I consider this not just an opportunity, but a responsibility, to bring his message and his dream to the students of Austin.”
Sylvia Brown, Board Member, Johns Hopkins Healthcare Advisory Board, in Baltimore

“Baltimore is proud to be a part of this wonderful effort. We hope that young audiences find inspiration and encouragement in the film and in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s story,” said Brown.
Grant Hill, former NBA player; Harold Mills, Chief Executive Officer, ZeroChaos; Clarence Otis, retired Chairman & CEO, Darden Restaurants; and Ron Williams, former Chairman & CEO of Aetna in Central Florida/Orlando

“The story of Dr. King’s historic journey in Alabama is one that students all over the country should know intimately,” said Otis. “It’s an honor to provide the opportunity for students in Central Florida to see Ava DuVernay’s beautiful film.”

Dr. Laurence C. Morse, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Fairview Capital Partners, Inc., in Connecticut

“I am privileged to have been able to join with an extraordinary group of concerned, civic-minded individuals in the State of Connecticut to provide an opportunity for a number of young people who might not otherwise have been able to do so, to see and experience this deeply moving, engaging film about a critically important period in our nation’s recent history, and in the continuing evolution of our democracy,” said Morse.
Faye Alexander Nelson, President, DTE Energy Foundation; Tonya Allen, President & CEO, The Skillman Foundation; Lisa Dancsok, Vice President, Quicken Loans; Mariam C. Noland, President, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan; Vivian R. Pickard, President, General Motors Foundation; Laura Trudeau, Managing Director, Detroit, Kresge Foundation; and Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation in Detroit

“Detroit students will have the opportunity to join with students across the country to view ‘SELMA’ thanks to the generosity of a group of national and local foundations and corporations. We are pleased to help coordinate the generous commitments of the DTE Energy Foundation, Ford Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Kresge Foundation, The Skillman Foundation, and Quicken Loans,” said Noland.

T. Warren Jackson, Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer, DIRECTV, and Debra Martin Chase, CEO, Martin Chase Productions, in Los Angeles

“It’s important that the civil rights struggle depicted in ‘SELMA’ reach as many young people as possible so that the enduring lessons of the civil rights movement can be harnessed to inspire them to transform their lives and communities. We appreciate the support of the California Endowment, and have enlisted the Constitutional Rights Foundation to work with the schools in creating a broader educational program to insure just that,” said Jackson.

“As a filmmaker, I recognize the transformative power of film; that’s why the overwhelming response to the ‘SELMA’ initiative here in Los Angeles and across the nation is so heartening. It’s a reminder of the importance of voting and civic engagement and demonstrates how anything can be accomplished through creativity and collective effort,” said Martin Chase.

Gayle S. Rose, Chief Executive Officer, Electronic Vaulting Services, in Memphis

“On behalf of former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, Jr., we are thrilled to provide 10,000 7th, 8th and 9thgrade Memphis students the gift of this film and what history has to teach us,” said Rose. “We thank Paramount Pictures, Malco Theaters, and many generous donors who made this happen in a matter of days. This is a testament to the charitable nature of our people.”
Ira D. Hall, resident of Miami Beach, FL, and Dr. Sherrlyn Scott, Supervisor, Department of Social Sciences Miami-Dade County Public Schools, in Miami

“Over 5,500 Miami Dade and Ft. Lauderdale students can now see for free ‘SELMA,’ the movie that so powerfully portrays the courage, tenacity, humanity and moral strength of Alabama citizens, combined with the extraordinary brilliance and moral conviction of key civil rights and national leaders. That unstoppable coalition jointly fought for and won the rights of African Americans to vote! It is wonderful that students today can feel and sense this history so strikingly brought to life in ‘SELMA,’” said Hall.

“We are thankful to our contributors in Miami who quickly organized to support such a worthy endeavor,” said Scott. “Their generosity will make a lasting impact on the students in our community.”

Alden McDonald, President, Liberty Bank, and Neill Wright, First Tuskegee Bank President, in Montgomery

“This effort is an integral part of our corporate philosophy of linking our heritage to our vision of true equality for all the people we serve,” said McDonald.

“In as much as Montgomery is part of the journey we took as a people to gain voting rights in the 1960s, we have joined with other business leaders and concerned citizens to provide free access to the ‘SELMA’ film for local students. We believe that we continue to make the historical connections for this generation to ‘keep the dream’ of true equality alive and well,” said Wright.

Dr. Eugene Flood, Jr., EVP and President of Diversified Financial Services, TIAA-CREF, in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill

“We are pleased to support this unprecedented program for North Carolina students to be able to see this remarkable film,” said Flood.

These African-American business leaders are following the lead of those in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sarasota, FL, Washington D.C. and Westchester.

“This was an important opportunity to educate our children about the heroes of the civil rights movement and keep an important legacy intact. I am proud that our community seized the moment,” said Fletcher “Flash” Wiley, Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, who helped to organize the efforts in Boston.

The nationwide efforts are inspired by the success of the program in New York City, in which 27 African-American business leaders created a fund for 27,000 of the city’s 7th, 8th and 9th grade students to see the film for free. Due to the overwhelming demand, the New York City effort sold out in the very first weekend and was expanded to 75,000 tickets.

Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, which is distributing “SELMA,” is coordinating the programs with participating theaters in the U.S.

For a list of participating theaters in select cities offering free admission to students during this program and for information on group sales, visit www.SelmaMovie.com/studenttickets.

The students who present a current student ID or report card at the box office of any participating theater will receive free admission while tickets last.

To help get the word out about the program, tweet using the hashtag #SelmaForStudents.

Directed by DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., “SELMA” is nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Picture and Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Song for “Glory” and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films present “SELMA.” Produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. “SELMA” is directed by Ava DuVernay.

“SELMA” is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s “SELMA” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

“SELMA” is playing in theaters nationwide. To learn more about the film, go to http://www.selmamovie.com.

Watch The “Glory” Music Video From SELMA

John Legend, Ava DuVernay, Common attend the Paramount Pictures Golden Globes Post Party at The Beverly Hilton (Photo: Brandon Clark/ABImages)

Watch the official music video for “Glory,” Common and John Legend’s Golden Globe-winning song from director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA. Tune in tomorrow at 5:30 am PST to see the Oscar nominations here: www.oscars.org/oscars/live.

In an unprecedented effort led by a team of African-American business leaders in New York, organizations across the U.S. coordinated a massive national campaign to find African-American business leaders to underwrite free admission to the Golden Globe-nominated film SELMA for students around the country.

The new cities added are the efforts inspired by the overwhelming success of the program in New York City, in which 27 African-American business leaders created a fund for 27,000 of the city’s 7th, 8th and 9th grade students to see the film for free. That effort sold out in the very first weekend.The programs begin January 12th and run through January 19th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) or while tickets last. Students can share their images and response to the film using #SelmaForStudents.

For more information, visit selmastudenttickets.com

Middle-School Students in NYC Can See SELMA Movie for FREE Until January 19th

Inspired by the overwhelming success in New York City, prominent members of the African-American business communities in major cities across America have teamed with Paramount Pictures to create funds for students to see the Golden Globe-nominated film SELMA for free in participating theaters.

The cities joining the effort will be announced Monday, January 12th at 9:00 a.m. ET.

The New York City program provided free admission for 27,000 of the city’s 7th, 8th and 9th grade students to see SELMA in participating local theaters. 27 African-American business leaders contributed to the fund and activated their network of contacts to put this program into motion, creating an impromptu and innovative public-private partnership for the greater good.

The students in these cities will provide a student ID or report card at any of the participating locations for free admittance. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. on January 12 and run through January 19 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) or while tickets last.

“The response to our program in New York is better than we could have anticipated and we are truly moved by the generosity and outpouring of support,” said Charles Phillips, CEO, Infor and Viacom Director. “The story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s heroic efforts in Alabama during the civil rights movement is an important chapter in our country’s history – and one that still resonates deeply today. Due to the many generous donors, tens of thousands of students around the country will have the opportunity to experience this extraordinary film.”

The New York community has rallied to get the word out on SELMA. Major institutions including the New York City Department of Education, KIPP Schools, New York City Housing Authority, Schomburg Museum, Eagle Academy, Harlem Children Zone, Harlem Village Academy, Abyssinian Baptist Church, The Boys and Girls Club, the New York Public Library, and local radio stations are reaching out to students and informing them of this wonderful opportunity.

Theaters are reporting unprecedented calls for group screenings as entire classes want to attend together. In addition, many screenings are followed by discussions, and a recommended reading list has been compiled for further learning. This is a rare moment when a film has transformed into a cultural movement in recognition of a highly relevant message that touched many people.

Directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., SELMA has been nominated for four Golden Globes: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Song (“Glory” by Common and John Legend).

The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films present SELMA. Produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb.

SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.

Currently open in select cities, SELMA opens in theaters nationwide today, January 9, 2015. To learn more about the film, go to www.selmamovie.com.

Read our review HERE.

SELMA – The Review

Compared to everything Martin Luther King Jr. achieved during his lifetime, SELMA showcases but a fraction of his accomplishments. Of course that fraction is one of the biggest triumphs of his lifetime. It was a turning point for so many in America and a cornerstone in the Civil Rights Movement. SELMA doesn’t try to be an all-encompassing look at Martin Luther King (played with gusto by David Oyelowo); it simply chronicles the events leading up to a march Dr. King led from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama that occurred in 1965 as a protest to institute a unencumbered equal rights voting bill. It quickly becomes evident though that this isn’t just King’s show. There are a number of people that led to the formation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and learning about the secondary characters in SELMA is just as important to the film as King’s many, many speeches that director Ava DuVernay sometimes gets lost in highlighting.

Cinematographer Bradford Young perfectly captures the presence of Martin Luther King as he delivers his inspiring speeches while also showing the brutal confrontations that the protestors from Selma and from other parts of America had to endure. Attacks on a bridge leading out of Selma are filmed in a frenzied and energetic manner but are still clearly understood even amid all the smoke and tear gas. There are many instances where shots are framed in a symmetrical way – King at the lectern anchored by sconces or protestors arm in arm walking towards the camera in solidarity. Other times a simple shot of a pair of shoes walking on the asphalt will pull back to reveal a sea of people. It is moments like this that emphasize King’s idea that all it takes is one person to stand-up and make a difference.

There has been much debate recently among the news media surrounding how supportive Lyndon B. Johnson was of the Civil Rights Movement. Some critics have pointed out that SELMA unfairly and maliciously paints him in a negative light in order to push the film’s story. Others have been quick to point out that his voting record prior to gaining the Presidential seat shows that he was actually not in favor of it, and it was only until late that his views shifted. Given the fact that the film picks up after LBJ meets King for the first time after winning the Nobel Peace Prize I can only judge what the film shows from that point on. Also, considering I’m a film critic and not a major historian, I can only impart that what I witnessed was a very complex and troubled character. I didn’t necessarily see a bad guy nor did I see someone who fully stood behind King. I saw a politician – a man who was out for his own personal gain but who struggled with his personal feelings along with the demands of the public and outside political parties. He’s shown as someone attempting to maintain a balance, and it’s only when the media shows the shift in public opinion that he is able to drop his political agenda in favor of giving in to his own personal desires to match that of the general public. Tom Wilkinson as LBJ doesn’t come across as cartoonishly evil as Tim Roth playing an Alabama Governor, or as bad as the recent news media has accused the film of mislabeling him. SELMA may not get the facts 100% accurate according to some, but I would argue that it does paint LBJ in shades of grey instead of just black and white.

There is no denying that the true hero of SELMA is David Oyelowo. He embodies the charismatic leader and orator while still adding a level of humanity when he isn’t delivering rousing speeches. DuVernay is careful not to shine too bright of a light on King. He certainly is no saint and SELMA shows him as he deals with marriage woes and internal fighting among his cohorts. When the film does drift into these treacherous waters is when it gets a little shaky. The drama between King and his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) feels tacked-on and doesn’t add much to the real drama at the center of the story. I found myself wanting to get back to the tension between the Selma marchers and their opposing forces. Even though their constant round-about fights created an often cyclical effect, I still found the slowly mounting tension from the history making events to be more inspiring than a dining room quarrel.

I’m afraid to necessarily say SELMA is an important film because I feel that undermines the point DuVernay was trying to make. Martin Luther King is such an important figure in our nation’s history and what he helped achieve for so many is groundbreaking. But a film like SELMA shows that it wasn’t just one man struggling on behalf of an entire race of people. He had hundreds, thousands, millions of supporters from all over, and while this film occasionally relegates the outspoken leader’s life to the background in lieu of the bigger cultural picture, that’s precisely the point. SELMA is about a moment in history when many came together for a common goal and a shared love of equal rights for all. King may be the man standing in front, but DuVernay is hear to show us that that person is no different from you or I. That’s what makes SELMA an important film.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

SELMA is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: