David Oyelowo says Oscar voters snubbed 'Selma' after cast wore 'I Can't Breathe' shirts in remembrance of Eric Garner

Ava DuVernay’s Martin Luther King Jr. drama “Selma” was one of the best reviewed films of 2014, and yet it only received two Oscar nominations: Best Picture and Best Original Song. The academy’s failure to recognize DuVernay in the Best Director category and actors such as David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo is part of the reason #OscarsSoWhite went viral when nominations for the 2015 Oscars were announced. In a new interview with Screen Daily, Oyelowo reveals that one reason “Selma” was snubbed by Academy voters was due to backlash against the “Selma” cast and crew for wearing “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirts to their New York City premiere.

Video transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]