President Obama Hosts 'Selma' Screening At The White House

President Obama Set To House ‘Selma’ Screening At The White House

Earlier this week, many people were rightfully offended by the fact that award-worthy new Ava DuVernay film ‘Selma” was snubbed from this year’s Oscar nominations and now President Obama himself has followed the insulting news with a grand gesture.

via CNN

It seems President Barack Obama is siding with the movie critics, not the Academy, when it comes to the movie “Selma.”

Obama will host cast and crew members of the Martin Luther King biopic for a screening at the White House on Friday evening, one day after the critically acclaimed movie was snubbed as Oscar nominations were handed out.

The movie’s lead actor David Oyelowo, director Ava DuVernay, rapper and actor Common, Oprah Winfrey and several others will join Obama for the screening on Friday. Congressman John Lewis, who is portrayed in the movie, will also head to the White House for the screening.

The movie still cinched two nominations, for best picture and best original song, but DuVernay and Oyelowo’s portrayal of Martin Luther King didn’t get an Oscar nod. A White House official said the event was pre-planned and not scheduled based on the Oscar nominations, or lack thereof.

Watching ‘Selma’ with 103-year-old matriarch of the movement

That disappointment came after former aides to President Lyndon Johnson slammed the movie’s portrayal of the former President as inaccurate and unfair. Those aides said the movie painted Johnson as a reluctant proponent to further civil rights legislation and unfairly characterized his relationship with the 60s civil rights leader as overly acrimonious.

Given that the central focus of this film was the fight for African-Americna voting rights, paired with the increasing efforts of Republicans to introduce new voter suppression laws as if this ISN’T 2015, this gesture speaks volumes coming from the leader of the free world. Clap for ’em.

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