Watch: Over 1 Hour Of Talks & Discussion With 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay, David Oyelowo & More

Just in time for Oscar consideration, “Selma” opens Christmas Day in limited release. The film explores the tumultuous period in 1965 in which Martin Luther King, Jr. led three marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in pursuit of equal voting rights for African Americans. The marches resulted in the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ava DuVernay directs, David Oyelowo plays the inspiring civil rights leader, and Tom Wilkinson portrays the president. The director, cast, and producers (most notably Oprah Winfrey) have been hitting the publicity circuits hard in advance of the film’s release, and what they have to say is so often fascinating.

Last month, the cast and director held a Q&A about “Selma” at AFI Fest. In the first clip from the discussion, Winfrey, DuVernay, and Oyelowo chat with moderator Alfre Woodard. What’s impressive is how much everyone involved—especially DuVernay and Winfrey—attribute the film to...