Paramount Pictures is offering free digital rentals of Ava DuVernay's Selma through the end of June. This announcement came less than 24 hours after David Oyelowo, who portrays Martin Luther King Jr. in the film, said Selma's 2015 Oscar snub was a response to the protest of the killing of Eric Garner by an NYPD officer. Selma, directed by DuVernay and written by Paul Webb, is a 2014 film chronicling the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. Selma stars Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo, and Common.
Today, DuVernay shared that Paramount is offering Selma for free rentals for the rest of the month, starting Friday, June 5. Paramount's announcement came shortly after Oyelowo revealed Academy members told the studio they would not support Selma after the cast wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "I Can't Breathe" to the film's premiere. It's unclear if this is why Paramount made the movie available, though, as DuVernay's statement about the free rentals implies it's more about removing barriers for folks to educate themselves about black history. On Twitter, DuVernay said:
Happy to share: Paramount Pictures is offering SELMA for free rental on all US digital platforms for June, starting today. We’ve gotta understand where we’ve been to strategize where we’re going. History helps us create the blueprint. Onward.
In reference to the Academy's response to the cast's protests, Oyelowo stated, "It's part of why the film didn't get everything that people think it should've got and it birthed #OscarsSoWhite." The film was nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. However, Selma did not receive nominations in other major categories, in keeping with a year that many felt lacked diversity. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences replied to DuVernay, tweeting, "Ava & David, we hear you. Unacceptable. We're committed to progress."
Source: Ava DuVernay/Twitter