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The Academy may have some explaining to do. In a new installment of the Screen Talks Live Q&A series, Selma star David Oyelowo claimed that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences attempted to shut down the cast and crew’s protest following the death of Eric Garner in 2014. Director Ava DuVernay has since corroborated Oyelowo’s account, tweeting, “True story.”
Yesterday, Screen Daily released a new Q&A with Oyelowo, who rose to fame after playing Martin Luther King, Jr. in DuVernay’s Selma. After arguing that the BAFTAs should be moved to a different time of year in order to eliminate the awards show’s tie to the Oscars — “We have a very specific identity as the British film industry that should be independent,” he said — the actor turned his attention to his own personal issues with the Academy.
“Six years ago, Selma coincided with Eric Garner being murdered. That was the last time we were in a place of ‘I Can’t Breathe,'” said Oyelowo, referencing Garner’s last words before he died in police custody. “I remember at the premiere of Selma us wearing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ T-shirts in protest. Members of the Academy called in to the studio and our producers saying, ‘How dare they do that? Why are they stirring shit?’ and ‘We are not going to vote for that film because we do not think it is their place to be doing that.'”
Selma was widely considered one of the best films of the year, but it was nominated for just two Academy Awards, Best Picture and Best Original Song (the historical drama won the latter category for “Glory” by John Legend and Common); Oyelowo told Screen that the Academy’s resistance to the protest played a large role in the overall snub. “It’s part of why that film didn’t get everything that people think it should’ve got and it birthed #OscarsSoWhite,” he said. “They used their privilege to deny a film on the basis of what they valued in the world.”
Oleyowo’s claim quickly drew the attention of film community, which praised him for coming forward with the story. Once DuVernay backed up the claim, it became impossible for the Academy to ignore, and they issued a brief apology via their official Twitter account. “Ava & David, we hear you,” they wrote. “Unacceptable. We’re committed to progress.”
Decider has reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for additional comment.
