Without intentionally doing so, the Obama administration has inserted itself into the middle of the Academy Awards-‘Selma’ controversy after the Oscars snubbed the critically-acclaimed film this week during the nominations ceremony.
The White House has officially announced it was screening the movie, the day after the Academy Awards was assailed by critics and fans alike for the lack of black actors and actress nominations.
Selma did receive nods for “Best Picture” and “Best Song” but the performance of lead actor David Oyelowo, which was praised by movie critics, was not rewarded with an Oscar nomination. There was also no Hollywood love for director Ava DuVernay, whose handling of the story line monumental time period was lauded by the industry.
According to the White House press office, Winfrey, Oyelowo, rapper Common and DuVernay will attend the screening. Also expected to be in attendance will be living legend and longtime Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), who led the march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and nearly lost his life when police unleashed violence to push back the marchers 50 years ago in what is known as “Bloody Sunday.”
It will be a busy weekend for Oprah. On Sunday, Winfrey and the movie cast will march across the Pettus bridge in honor of Dr. King.
The White House had been planning the march for quite some time, but happened to make the announcement the day after the Oscar nominations were revealed.
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