Selma is an American drama film directed by Ava DuVernay. It is written by Paul Webb. The film stars actors David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Tim Roth as George Wallace, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams and Common as Bevel. It will start streaming on 16th October on Netflix.
Initially, Selma premiered at the American Film Institute Festival on 11th November 2014 and had a limited US release on 25th December 2014. Later on, it expanded into wide theatrical release on 9th January 2015.
This film was nominated for Best Picture. It won the Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards. This drama movie received four Golden Globe Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director and Best Actor, and won for Best Original Song. This drama movie has raised the excitement level and viewers want to know whether the movie is based on a real-life story or if it is based on a novel or a book.
Is Selma based on a true story?
The answer to this question is yes. Selma is based on a real-life event. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches which were led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, and John Lewis.
The Selma March, in 1965, was a series of protests against racial discrimination in voting that began in Selma, Alabama, and ended in Montgomery. During the protest, the demonstrators were violently attacked and the day marked as ‘Bloody Sunday’. Following the bloody Sunday, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices and secured voting rights for African Americans. This march is considered as a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and it has helped the African Americans to secure their voting rights. The King aslo delivered a speech on the steps of the State Capitol.
The worldwide release of this movie was done just two months before the 50th anniversary of the march and it got re-released on 20th March 2015 in the honour of the 50th anniversary of the historical march.