The event, which closes out Black History Month, also happens to coincide with a ceremony under fire for its lack of inclusion.
On Oscar night, most of the film industry is in Hollywood, celebrating itself and the year in film. Millions more are at home watching the party. But this year, two of the leading lights among filmmakers—Creed director Ryan Coogler and Selma director Ava Duvernay—are going to be in Flint, Michigan, instead. The two rising filmmakers (Duvernay signed on to direct Disney’s new adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time, while Coogler is set to helm Marvel’s Black Panther) will be joined by singer Janelle Monae, actor Jesse Williams, and comedian Hannibal Buress, who’ll be hosting the #Justice4Flint fundraiser that Coogler’s activist collective Blackout for Human Rights is throwing.
