By Faizal Khan
New Delhi, Sep 11 (UNI) The Oscar race has been set off at the 45th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with a powerful racial justice drama featuring Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X staking claim for the Best Picture statuette.
'One Night in Miami' by African-American actor-director Regina King, part of the Gala Presentations programme of TIFF this year, has jumped into fray for early Oscar frontrunners with its thought-provoking exploration of racial discrimination in the modern society.
Based on a fictionalised account of a meeting between boxing legend Ali and civil rights icon Malcolm X, 'One Night in Miami' dives deep into the Black Lives Matter movement gripping the contemporary world following protests against racial discrimination in the United States.
King, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 'If Beale Street Could Talk' last year, makes her directorial debut with 'One Night in Miami'. Adapted from a stage play by American playwright Kemp Powers, the film is set in early 1964 on the night of Ali's famous victory over Sonny Liston to become the new heavyweight champion of the world.
With the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives away the Oscar Awards, setting diversity criteria for Best Picture nominees from next year, 'One Night in Miami' could hope to influence the Academy voting members. King is also expected to become the first Black female director to get the Oscar nod for Best Director.
'One Night in Miami' shows Ali and Malcolm X meeting in a motel in Miami along with their friends, singer Sam Cooke and footballer Jim Brown, to celebrate Ali's victory. The year is 1964 when America is witnessing the civil rights movement to ensure racial equality for the Black people. It is the time when the 22-year-old Ali goes by his original name, Cassius Clay. In the film, Clay announces that night that he would henceforth be called Muhammad Ali.
"Fresh on the heels of her Academy Award for 'If Beale Street Could Talk' and her acclaimed lead performance in the 'Watchmen' television series, Regina King makes her feature directing debut with a drama that draws entertainment and activism, fame and principle, together on one fabled evening," says TIFF Co-Head and Artistic Director Cameron Bailey.
"Triumphant and playful, Clay is looking to party, but both he and football star Brown know that’s only a temporary escape from the civil rights abuses that limit the lives of even celebrated Black Americans," adds Bailey.
"...The four men begin with banter but soon root down to the hard questions facing them. Should successful Black entertainers speak out against racism? How best can Black celebrities serve the Black community? Are money and fame reward enough for humiliation?" says Bailey.
Malcolm X begins the debate saying, "Black people are dying every day." "There is no room for anyone to be standing on the fence," he adds, exhorting his friends to join the fight for racial justice. Initially only wanting to celebrate his victory with his friends, Ali too joins in, underlining the importance of "Black power".
Canadian actor Eli Goree, star of popular TV series 'Da King in My Hair', plays Cassius Clay while British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, known for the Netflix mystery series 'The OA', portrays the role of Malcolm X.
Celebrated American director Spike Lee's new film,'David Byrne's American Utopia', about the 2019 Broadway show of American rock band Talking Heads' frontman David Byrne, opened the 45th edition of the Toronto film festival last night.
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