SELMA, the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for African-Americans, will open in cinemas on February 6th next year.
The film, which was shot in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama stars British actor David Oyelowo (Middle of Nowhere, The Butler, A Most Violent Year) as Martin Luther King Jr and Oprah Winfrey takes on the role of Annie Lee Cooper, a visible leader among the Civil Rights protesters in Selma who tried to register to vote and was unfairly denied by the sheriff.
SELMA recaps King’s (Oyelowo) dangerous and terrifying three month campaign to secure voting rights for minorities during the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery that led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act by President Johnson protecting Africa-Americans’ right to vote.
The supporting cast of SELMA includes Tom Wilkinson (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Michael Clayton) as President Lyndon B. Johnson; Carmen Ejogo (Alex Cross, Ride And Glory) as Coretta King and Tim Roth (Arbitrage, The Incredible Hulk) as Governor George Wallace.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, produced by Oprah Winfrey, Plan B and Cloud Eight Films’ Christian Colson SELMA’s release will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the pivotal moment in the US Civil Rights Movement and will hit cinemas on February 6th 2015.
