Green Book | It takes courage to change people’s hearts
Published:Wednesday | January 30, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures) and Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, The Lord of the Rings trilogy star in Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book. In his foray as a feature director, Peter Farrelly helms the film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class and the1962 Mason-Dixon line.
Top Oscar Contender
The Green Book is a top contender for the 2019 Academy Awards with a total of five nominations, including Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay. Mahershala Ali has emerged a clear front-runner among the A-list of nominees, having so far copped the Best Actor crown at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The Story
When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on The Green Book to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African Americans. Confronted with racism, danger – as well as unexpected humanity and humour – they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.
Jim Burke (The Descendants), Charles B. Wessler (The Heartbreak Kid) produce alongside Farrelly’s fellow writers, Brian Currie and Nick Vallelonga, and Farrelly. The drama is executive-produced by Participant’s Jeff Skoll (The Help) and Jonathan King (Lincoln), along with Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station) and Kwame L. Parker (Kill Bill series), as well as Cinetic Media’s John Sloss (Boyhood) and Steven Farneth. Linda Cardellini (Brokeback Mountain, The Founder) co-stars.