The Loving Story

Invited

In 1958, newlyweds Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in the dead of night and convicted of the crime of interracial marriage. Banished from Virginia and miserable in exile, they sought support. Bernie Cohen and Philip Hirschkop, young ACLU lawyers, stepped forward and took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. The unanimous 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia overturned all remaining anti-miscegenation laws in America. And it allowed the Lovings to go home. Though the film features present day interviews, filmmakers Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James are wise to let Hope Ryden’s stunning, never-before-seen archival footage and photographer Grey Villet’s still images of the couple illustrate the patent injustice of the Loving’s story. Touching scenes of a happy family—a mother tying her child’s shoes, a husband holding his wife on the porch—make a strong counterpoint to racist hostility. It is a privilege to be granted this rare glimpse behind the scenes of a watershed civil rights case.  RM

Director

Nancy Buirski

Producers

Nancy Buirski, Elisabeth Haviland James

Editor

Elisabeth Haviland James

Cinematographers

Rex Miller, Steve Milligan

Release Year

2011

Festival Year

2011

Country

United States

Run Time

78 minutes

Premiere

World Premiere