Abstract

Abstract:

Selma (dir. Ava DuVernay, 2014) is a historical film that has raised a number of criticisms on account of its narrative of the civil rights movement. Ava DuVernay has enhanced the agency of Martin Luther King as a leader who resisted President Lyndon B. Johnson and organized collective action in Selma. She has revised the conventions of the biopic as a slice-of-life narrative focusing on place rather than on an individual, pointing out the legacy of the past over the present through visuals that refer to slavery.

pdf

Share