Cierra Brown
Suny New Paltz
New Paltz, NY 12561

February 13th, 2020

Ava DuVernay
℅ Creative Arts Agency
405 Lexington Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10174

Dear Ms. DuVernay,

Hello my name is Cierra Brown and I’m a first year student at SUNY New Paltz. I watched the movie Selma for the first time in my English class. I’m writing to tell you how great and effective the movie was. It was a good way to show how Martin Luther King Jr and his people fought for equal rights.

The opening of the film was a good way to start the movie. First showing Martin Luther King Jr being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then the four girls that were bombed in the church. Starting the movie off this way showed the impact MLK Jr’s words had. He was being recognized for his leadership during the Civil Rights Movement. But some people didn’t agree with his movement which is what caused the bombing. Through these scenes I learned more about the cause and effects this movement had. Watching Selma gave me a better insight of what really took place during these times.

The script for Selma was also effective during the movie. I read that you rewrote the script and you had experience since your father grew up near Selma while this was taking place. “DuVernay said that the rewritten “Selma” script, which drew from her father’s experiences as a young boy growing up near Selma at the time of the famous march there in 1965, had deep personal meaning for herself and her family”(Fallon). The speeches that you wrote for the movie showed how much you wanted to show what Martin Luther King wanted. This helped to focus more on MLK and the other activists that helped to make a change.

Martin Luther King Jr’s speeches were very inspirational. They helped to inspire people to focus on what they want. It will make life better for them and children. “As a community. As a nation. For our lives. We can do this”(Selma). MLK Jr wanted to make things better for the African American community and didn’t want anybody to give up. His speeches told people that they have to be non violent to get what they want.

The cinematography throughout the movie was excellent. A particular scene that was very powerful was the murder of James Reeb. He was an upcoming minister, pastor and activist that helped fight for equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement. Being a caucasian man supporting the movement for African Americans wasn’t something many people agreed with. This scene showed me that it doesn’t matter your race, if you support Martin Luther King Jr’s movement you were most likely to be attacked.

Selma is a great and educational movie that I enjoyed learning from. Seeing everything that took place from different points of view really taught me things I didn’t know. I will watch it again to see if there is anything else that catches my attention.

Sincerely,
Cierra

Works Cited

Selma. Directed by Ava DuVernay, performances by David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo
Paramount, 2014.

Fallon, Claire “Ava DuVernay Says She Regrets Giving Up On ‘Selma’ Writing Credit”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ava-duvernay-regrets-selma-writing-credit_n_59d99427e4b072
637c44869e 8th October 2017