email Join our email list! divider Register Login cartCart
Icarus Film
Films from independent
producers worldwide.
32 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201divider(718) 488 8900
The Loving Story
Directed by Nancy Buirski
Produced by Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James
 Text Size  Increase Font Size   Decrease Font Size   divider Printable VersionPrintable Version

film still

Oscar-shortlist selection THE LOVING STORY, the debut feature by Full Frame Documentary Film Festival founder Nancy Buirski, is the definitive account of Loving v. Virginia-the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage.

Married in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter returned home to Virginia where their marriage was declared illegal-he was white, and she was black and Native American. At the time, anti-miscegenation laws were upheld in 16 states. The Lovings refused to leave one another and, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, took their case to the courts.

Hope Ryden's luminous, newly discovered 16mm footage of the Lovings and their young ACLU lawyers, Bernard S. Cohen and Philip J. Hirschkop, as well as first-person testimony by their daughter Peggy Loving and rare documentary photographs by LIFE Magazine photographer Grey Villet, recounts the little-known story of the Loving family.

Their case made it all the way to the United States Supreme Court, whose decision-under Chief Justice Earl Warren-finally struck down state laws against interracial marriage throughout the country. THE LOVING STORY takes us behind the scenes of the legal challenges and the emotional turmoil that they entailed, documenting a seminal moment in American history and reflecting a timely message of marriage equality in a personal, human love story.

film still

"A perfect time capsule that illuminates the racist past of our country with a uniquely personal and poignant emphasis." —The Hollywood Reporter

"In a rich collection of 16-millimeter film, old news clips and still photographs, the Lovings don't look like two people caught up in a cause, they seem like two people caught up in each other." —The New York Times

"Using evocative photographs, newly unearthed footage and interviews with Lovings' daughter and lawyers, the film reveals the power of love to overcome bigotry." —The Huffington Post

"Documenting many pivotal moments in the case, it adds a dash of something rarely seen in the grand narrative of the American Civil Rights struggle: romance." —Chicago Sun-Times

"Highly recommended… informative and emotionally engaging." —Educational Media Reviews Online

Winner, Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Programming 2013
Nominee, Emmy Award Outstanding Editing and Outstanding Documentary 2013
Winner, WGA Screenplay Award, Silverdocs Documentary Festival 2011
Winner, Best Use of Footage in a Factual Production, Focal International Awards 2012
Winner, WGA Screenplay Award, 2011 Silverdocs Documentary Festival
Winner, 2012 John E. O'Connor Film Award, American Historical Association
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2011
Sundance Film Forward 2012
Tribeca Film Festival 2011

77 minutes / Color
Release: 2012
Copyright: 2011

For colleges, universities, government agencies, hospitals and corporations

This DVD is sold with a license for institutional use and Public Performance rights.

Study guide

Subject areas:
African-Americans, African-American Studies, American Studies, Biographies, Civil rights, Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Ethics, Family Relations, High School Use, History (U.S.), Human rights, Jewish Studies, Law, Politics, Racism, Women's Studies

Related Links:
Filmmaker Nancy Buirski
Press Quotes Page
Legal Issues and Events
View a PDF of the Film's Press Kit
Study Guide Available in Adobe PDF Format
>>
Trailer

>
Film Clips

Related Titles:
Home | New | Titles | Subjects | Ordering   
About | Best Sellers | Filmmakers | Screenings   
address
  Follow Us! On...
Facebook Follow Icarus Films on Twitter Instagram Vimeo YouTube
Copyright (c) 2024, Icarus Films
Last Updated January 25, 2024 [Build 3.0.a060-d7]
Privacy Policy