UW African American and Diaspora Studies Plans Spring Film Series

Four films with prestigious nominations for this season’s Academy Awards, including Best Picture nods, will be shown during the African American and Diaspora Studies spring film series at the University of Wyoming.

All films, free and open to the public, will be shown in the Wyoming Union Family Room at 6 and 9 p.m. Panel discussions also are scheduled. Films are:

-- “Loving,” Friday, Feb. 3, the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the U.S. Supreme Court. Ruth Negga is nominated for Best Actress. Panel participants are Tracey Patton, African American and Diaspora Studies director; Erin Forbes and Scott Henkel, both English assistant professors; and Ulli Adelt, American Studies associate professor.

“Loving” will be shown in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue, scheduled Jan. 30-Feb. 4 at UW.

-- “Birth of a Nation,” Monday, Feb. 13, the true story of Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher in the antebellum South who orchestrated an uprising. Panelists are Forbes, Henkel and Irlanda Jacinto, American Heritage Center university archivist.

-- “Moonlight,” Friday, March 3, a timeless story of human self-discovery and connection. The film chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood. The film’s Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali are both nominated for their supporting roles, and Barry Jenkins is nominated in the Best Director category. Patton and Forbes will lead the panel discussion.

Patton says two more acclaimed films may be shown in late March, “Hidden Figures” and “Fences,” both nominated for Best Picture, along with multiple acting and directing awards.

For more information, call Patton at (307) 766-3857 or email topatton@uwyo.edu.