Movies

Selma Movie: What Do We Know So Far About This Remarkable Historic Drama?

By

Aditi Deshinge

Selma Movie is a historical drama film which was released in 2014. The movie was directed by Ava Duvernay and penned by Paul Webb. Selma Movie is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches which was initiated and directed by James Bevel and led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams and John Lewis.

The movie is star studded with David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President and many others.

In this article we are going to discuss everything that we know so far Selma movie. So stay connected with us and read out this entire article.

Selma Movie was premiered at the American Film Institute Festival on 11th November,2014 and started a limited release in the United States on 25th December. The movie was expanded into wide theatrical release on 9th January 2015, two months before the 50th anniversary of the march.

Selma Movie

The movie was re-released on 20th March 2015 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the historical march.

Selma Movie was nominated for best picture and won best original song at 87th Academy Awards. The movie has also garnered four Golden Globe award nominations which include best motion picture-drama, best director and best actor and won best original song.

Read Also – Jaws 3-D Cast: Everything You Want to Know About the Real Life of Your Favourite Character!

What is the Cast of Selma Movie?

Check out the list of cast of Selma film along with its characters below –

  • David Oyelowoas Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Carmen Ejogoas Coretta Scott King
  • Oprah Winfreyas Annie Lee Cooper
  • Tom Wilkinsonas Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Giovanni Ribisias Lee C. White
  • André Hollandas Andrew Young
  • Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bayard Rustin
  • Colman Domingo as Ralph Abernathy
  • Omar Dorsey as James Orange
  • Tessa Thompson as Diane Nash
  • Common as James Bevel
  • Lorraine Toussaint as Amelia Boynton Robinson
  • Roger Mitchellas Frederick D. Reese
  • Dylan Baker as  Edgar Hoover
  • Ledisi Young as Mahalia Jackson
  • Kent Faulconas Sullivan Jackson
  • Niecy Nash as Richie Jean Jackson
  • Corey Reynolds as  T. Vivian
  • Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams
  • John Lavelle as Roy Reed
  • Stephan James as John Lewis
  • Trai Byers as James Forman
  • Lakeith Stanfield as Jimmie Lee Jackson
  • Henry G. Sanders as Cager Lee
  • Stan Houston as Sheriff Jim Clark
  • Tim Roth as George Wallace
  • Nigél Thatch as Malcolm X
  • Stephen Root as Al Lingo
  • Michael Papajohn as Major John Cloud
  • Jeremy Strong as James Reeb
  • Tara Ochs as Viola Liuzzo
  • Cuba Gooding Jr.as Fred Gray
  • Alessandro Nivola as John Doar
  • Michael Shikany as Archbishop Iakovos
  • Martin Sheen as Frank Minis Johnson (uncredited)

What is the Plotline of Selma Movie?

Selma is about civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Who heads towards the rural Alabama City, Selma for securing voting rights for the African American community by having a march to Montgomery? The movie portrays the struggles from what the African American community had to endure at the time of 1960s.

Selma portrays the struggles of black community who are facing the blockage of their voting rights as well as racial inequality during the civil rights movement.

Selma Movie

The movie portrays the 36th President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson as an antagonist and enemy towards the civil rights movement due to his refusal in signing a voting right bill.

Read Also – The Royal Treatment Cast: Release Date, Everything About Netflix Rom-Com Film

Trailer –

Enjoy the trailer of Selma movie in given below video. By watching this video you will get a precise idea regarding the plotline of this historic drama film and so it will become easy for you to decide whether to watch this movie or not. So go and watch out the trailer below –

What Was the Release Date of Selma Movie?

Selma premiered in Los Angeles at Grauman’s Egyptian theatre during AFI fest on 11th November 2014 after this the movie has garnered a standing ovation. It opened with limited release in the United States on 25th December 2014 which include Los Angeles, New York City and Atlanta. Then its widely released on 9th January 2015.

In February 2015, the movie was screened in the Berlinale special galas section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released by Pathe and their distribution partner 20th Century Fox on 6th February 2015 in the United Kingdom.

On 2oth March, 2015, Paramount Pictures gave the movie a limited re-release in the United States to honour the historical march’s 50th anniversary. Moreover, it was again re-released in January 2021 to celebrate Black History Month.

On 14th April, 2015, Selma was released on Blu-ray and DVD.

Read Also – Speed Movie Cast: Get to Know Everything That We Know So Far About Them?

What Are the Reviews for Selma Movie?

Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie rating of 99% which is based on 314 reviews with an average rating of 8.5 out of 10 and the site states that –

“Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo, Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King Jr. – but doesn’t ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied.”

The Chicago Sun Times’ Richard Roeper praised the movie as –

“an important history lesson that never feels like a lecture. Once school is back in session, every junior high school class in America should take a field trip to see this movie.”

Joe Morgenstern who writes for The Wall Street Journal states that –

“At its best, Ava DuVernay’s biographical film honors Dr. King’s legacy by dramatizing the racist brutality that spurred him and his colleagues to action.”

Rene Rodriguez who writes in the Miami Herald, commented that –

Unlike most biopics about heroic men who shaped our history or helped bring about change (such as 2013’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom or The Butler), Selma doesn’t feel like freeze-dried hagiography.