Institute History
Description
This documentary, with its contemporary parallels, will live on as record of monumental change, not just in civil rights, but in the human right to pursue happiness regardless of color, gender or creed.
A racially-charged criminal trial and a heart-rending love story converge in this definitive documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving. The marriage of Mildred (who was part-black and part-Native American) and Richard (who was white) was declared illegal in 1958 by their home state of Virginia. They refused to leave one another and, with the help of the ACLU, relentlessly pursued their right to happiness. Their case made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where, in 1967, it struck down laws against interracial marriage in this country once and for all. With luminous, newly discovered 16mm footage of the Lovings and their lawyers, first-person testimony and rare documentary photographs, this film takes us behind the scenes of the legal challenges and the emotional turmoil of the landmark case. The Loving Story recreates a seminal moment in history and reflects a timely message of marriage equality in a personal, human love story.
The Loving Story is a journey into the heart of race relations in America. This landmark documentary, with its contemporary parallels, will live on as record of monumental change, not just in civil rights, but in the human right to pursue happiness regardless of color, gender or creed.
The crime of miscegenation that forced the Lovings into exile harkens to the founding fathers and underlies many civil rights abuses. If not for fear of diluting blood lines, there would be no laws against interracial marriage; this fundamental fear pervades segregation and is arguably the root of all racism. We expose this powerful truth through a nuanced character study of Mildred and Richard Loving, hoping it will ignite interest in their story’s morality. Allowing our audiences to know, see and feel our subjects’ struggle intimately should create empathy for all groups fighting for marriage equality, as well as for those seeking to eliminate the stigma and confusion around mixed-race identity. This film offers a universal perspective on the Lovings’ heroic efforts to render such intolerance obsolete.