David Oyelowoe Stars as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma Trailer

Posted on November 7, 2014

David Oyelowoe (The Butler) stars as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the trailer for Selma. The film tells the story of the fateful three months in 1965 when Dr. King let non-violent protests from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery to press for voting rights for black Americans.

Alabama state troopers were especially brutal towards marchers on what is known as Bloody Sunday. They would not allow the marchers to march in peace and attacked the crowd with tear gas and batons. Many were brutally injured as a horrified American public and world audience watched the horror unfold on television.

The incidents and images from that day helped lead to President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) presenting The Voting Rights Act of 1965 to congress in an emotional speech. The bill passed and became law. The passage of the voting rights act was a watershed movement in the civil rights movement.

Tim Ross portrays Alabama governor George Wallace. Jeremy Strong plays the Reverend James Reeb, a white minister who was brutally killed during the marches by the Klu Klux Klan for daring to stand with the protesters. Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lorraine Toussaint Oprah Winfrey, Giovanni Ribisi, Dylan Baker, Common and Andre Holland co-star in the film.

The film was directed by Ava DuVernay’s. It will be out in a limited release on December 25th and will go to a wide release January 9,2014. Take a look:

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