I like Ava DuVernay’s work. While it moved a little slow, I enjoyed “I Will Follow.” I thought it brought a different perspective on the sorrow of a black family and I was happy to see the underused Salli Richardson-Whitfield in the film. I thought DuVernay’s short film “The Door,” featuring sharply dressed black actresses was cute. I am eagerly waiting for her second film “Middle of Nowhere” to be available online next year.
“Selma” is DuVernay’s third major film release.
“The film is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel,[1][2] Hosea Williams, and Martin Luther King, Jr. of SCLC and John Lewis of SNCC. The film stars David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, Common as Bevel, and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_%28film%29
The movie is set to come out during the Christmas holiday. I have mixed emotions about it. I think it’s important to continue to make films about the Civil Rights Movement, the sadistic brutally used against black folks (who simply wanted their basic human rights) was just a mere 60 years ago. But I do wish we could get different stories about this same journey. Particularly, black female voices. Or just some black female stories on how they have resisted racist/sexist oppression. I’m still waiting on that Harriet Tubman movie, Russell Simmons. Oh, wait…
In any case, the trailer looks interesting and I will probably go see it.
