Black history for the day

Rico's friend Kema (she of the on- line Slavery Museum) forwards this article by Shelli Weinstein from Variety:

Ava DuVernay’s Selma may have walked away from yesterday’s SAG nominations empty handed, but the film landed an impressive quartet of nominations for the 72nd Golden Globes, including the first-ever nomination for a female African-American director.
And yet, DuVernay (photo, left) says she was most hopeful not for herself, but for the film’s star, David Oyelowo (photo, right). “He put everything he had into this piece, so that was my highest hope when nominations were to be announced,” she says of Oyelowo, who was nominated for best actor.
The British actor stars as Martin Luther King Jr. in the Paramount movie, set at the height of the civil rights marches of Selma, Alabama.
Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer on the film, which was co-written by Paul Webb.
DuVernay said she knew Oyelowo would nail Dr. King’s iconic speeches, “because he is such a natural thespian,” she says. “He also goes very deep and we were always breaking down the character. I knew for a while that he would be able to portray the part beautifully, and he did.”
Meanwhile, Oyelowo maintains that it was DuVernay’s commitment to the personal, intimate storytelling that helped shape the story. “That was the greatest strength of Ava’s,” he says. “I always knew that, if I was ever going to conquer the role, it was more about the quiet moments and less about the bigger ones.”
Selma hits theaters on Christmas day.

Rico says he'll go see it with Kema next year...