Central Library Friday Film Club May 2019 #OscarsSoBlack

Fri, May 31 2019
11:00 am – 1:15 pm
Central Library, Balcony Conference Room

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May 2019: #OscarsSoBlack | Balcony Conference Room (behind Popular Library) | Each month, a different librarian at Central curates a series of films by theme, genre or director. Program for adults 18 and over only.

Moonlight (2016) | Directed by Barry Jenkins| Friday, May 3, 2019 at 3:00 PM: A young black man struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. Winner of three Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali); Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins); and Best Picture. Language: English | Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

Fences (2016) | Directed by Denzel Washington | Friday, May 10, 2019  at 3:00 PM: A black garbage collector 1950s Pittsburgh is bitter that baseball's color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues. Viola Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Language: English Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes

Get Out (2017) | Directed by Jordan Peele | Friday, May 17, 2019 at 3:00 PM: A young black man meets his white girlfriend's parents at their estate, only to find out that the situation is much more sinister than it appears. Jordan Peele won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Language: English| Runtime: 1 hour 49  minutes

Selma (2014) | Directed by Ava DuVernay | Friday, May 24, 2019 at 3:00 PM: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historical struggle to secure voting rights for all people—a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1964. John Legend and Common won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Language: English | Runtime: 2 hours 8 minutes

Roman J. Israel (2017) | Directed by Dan Gilroy | Friday, May 31, 2019 at 3:00 PM: Denzel Washington stars as Roman Israel, a driven, idealistic defense attorney who, through a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action. Denzel Washington was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Leading Actor.  Language: English | Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes


What is #OscarsSoBlack? In 2016, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite developed as a social media backlash towards the Academy Awards when it failed to nominate any people of color in any of the acting categories for two years straight. The hashtag #OscarsSoBlack became a response to in early 2017 when over 20 of the Oscar nominations that were announced went to Black filmmakers and actors.

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