LOS ANGELES: Paramount Pictures has made Ava DuVernay's 2014 critically-acclaimed film "Selma" free on all streaming platforms in the US for the month of June.
The 2014 historical drama is set around the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King Jr, James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis.
The decision comes amid the widespread protest over the custodial killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in an encounter caught on video.
The officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder and manslaughter.
In a statement, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount said, "We hope this small gesture will encourage people throughout the country to examine our nation's history and reflect on the ways that racial injustice has infected our society."
"The key message of 'Selma' is the importance of equality, dignity and justice for all people. Clearly, that message is as vital today as it was in 1965," the studio added.
Recently, actor David Oyelowo, who played King in the movie, revealed that the Academy voters were upset with the film's cast for wearing T-shirts that said "I Can't Breathe" to the Los Angeles premiere in protest of the killing of Eric Garner.
Garner, a member of the black community, was killed by police in 2014 after being arrested in Staten Island, New York.
Many people have noted the similarities between the deaths of both Flyod and Garner as they were restrained by a white police officer/s on the street.
"Members of the Academy called into the studio and our producers saying, 'How dare they do that? Why are they stirring s**t?' and 'We are not going to vote for that film, because we do not think it is their place to be doing that'," Oyelowo told Screen Daily's Screen Talk during an interview.
DuVernay shared Oyelowo's interview on Twitter along with the post "True Story".
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) replied to DuVernay's post, saying, "Ava & David, we hear you. Unacceptable. We're committed to progress."