Little Rock native and writer/director Jeff Nichols was in town Monday to share his latest film, Loving, a love story with strife. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star as Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
The film opened to U.S. audiences Nov. 4, although Monday was its Arkansas debut at Ron Robinson Theater. Moviegoers paid $35 each to attend the screening and pre-show mixer with food and beverages, which was underwritten by Lost Forty Brewing. Guests were given movie posters and related materials in black bags emblazoned with the Lost Forty logo and the words "this is loving in arkansas."
The sold-out show raised about $10,000 for the Central High School Tiger Foundation, headed by board chairman state Rep. Clarke Tucker. Nichols, who graduated from Central in 1997, said the Central High integration crisis of 1957 heavily influenced his making of the film.
He dedicated it to his grandparents, who he said lived a life of love much like that of the Lovings. That connection made it easy for him to identify with the film's characters.
"This movie is less about the court case than it is about these two people," Nichols said. Regarding integration, he said, "We're not there yet, but we're well on our way down that path."
-- Story and photos by Cyd King
High Profile on 11/20/2016