New Look At David Oyelowo As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In ‘Selma’; 30 Minutes Of Footage To Debut At AFI Fest

There are no sure things in this year’s Oscar race, and with a handful of movies still in play, one that could change the game in a big way is Ava DuVernay‘s "Selma." It’s being turned around a tight timeline—filming only started this summer—but the filmmaker is working fast and will show off the first footage in just a few weeks.

AFI Fest has announced that 30 minutes of "Selma" will screen on Tuesday, November 11th, followed by a talk with producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner, DuVernay, and star David Oyelowo. To look at this another way, you can tell how hard the folks behind the movie are pushing for Oscar with the talent they’re rolling out to present the movie. Get ready prognosticators. And until you can see the movie for yourself, this new image of Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King (via Flicks And Bits), in the movie about his civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery will have to suffice.

"Selma" opens on Christmas Day. Press release below.

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AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi
ANNOUNCES FIRST LOOK AT SELMA

STAR DAVID OYELOWO, DIRECTOR AVA DUVERNAY, AND PRODUCERS OPRAH WINFREY, DEDE GARDNER AND JEREMY KLEINER TO PARTICIPATE IN CONVERSATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LOS ANGELES, CA, October 31, 2014 – AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, announced today that it will offer a first look at director Ava DuVernay’s highly anticipated film SELMA on Tuesday, November 11. The presentation will feature 30 minutes of exclusive footage from the film followed by a conversation with producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo at the Egyptian Theatre.

SELMA, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the Civil Rights Movement. DuVernay’s SELMA tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film is produced by Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. The film is written by Paul Webb and directed by Ava DuVernay.

AFI FEST will take place November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, CA, at the Dolby Theatre^®, the TCL Chinese Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.