Ava DuVernay, director of the forthcoming film Selma, is the first black woman nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes. Selma is also nominated for Best Drama Film and Best Actor for David Oyelowo, who portrays Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When director Lee Daniels (The Butler) dropped out of Selma, Oyelowo (who was in The Butler, too) suggested DuVernay. She said when she got the script there were no women in it. She said of the decision: “There’s nothing to be lauded about putting women in the story, since they’ve always been in the story, so it was just about putting them back where they belonged.”
Of the 15 top characters, five are female. Carmen Ejogo (The Purge: Anarchy) portrays Coretta Scott King; Oprah Winfrey plays Annie Lee Cooper; Tessa Thompson (Dear White People) plays Diane Nash; Lorraine Toussaint (Orange Is the New Black) plays Amelia Boynton; and Niecy Nash (Reno 911!) plays Richie Jean Jackson. Selma will premiere on Christmas Day.
