Upon a second viewing of last year’s Selma, Ava DuVernay’s film about Martin Luther King and his leading
the protests in Selma, Alabama, that would ultimately lead to the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, I have warmed up to it more than when I first saw it. There was
some outspoken backlash bout the Academy’s failure to nominate DuVernay for an
Oscar. The same for David Oyelowo, who portrays King and carries the movie
through most of its emotional highs and lows. The paltry number of nominations
(a Best Picture nod and one for Best Song for which it won) was attributed by
some to Hollywood’s refusal to accept black stories or to afford them the same
status as stories about white people. These were rich arguments coming the year
after 12 Years a Slave won the Best
Picture Oscar. That film was about a challenging as they come. No, I think Selma was little recognized in the
awards season because it simply wasn’t as good as other movies last year.
Unless people believe in affirmative action for movie awards, I see no reason Selma and its director should have
bumped other worthy nominees from their recognition.
