On 9.20 director Ava Duvernay screened about five minutes’ worth of Selma (Paramount, 12.25), the broad-canvas ’60s-era civil rights drama, at the Urbanworld Film Festival. It was announced today that a bit more Selma footage — 30 minutes’ worth — will be screened at the Egyptian theatre on Tuesday, November 11th, as part of AFI Fest. A discussion between Duvernay, star David Oyelowo (pronounced “oh-yellow”) and producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will follow. Based on this gradual emergence strategy, one can surmise that the full movie will be press-screened sometime around Thanksgiving or soon after.

Selma director Ava Duvernay, star David Oyelowo.

The only impression that came out of the Urbanworld viewing was from Blackfilm‘s Wilson Morales, who wrote that Oyelowo’s performance as Martin Luther King “is good enough to be in conversation for one of the five Best Actor slots…he embodies King.”

But of course, the Best Actor race is already brutal at this stage with three if not four of the slots already spoken for if you go by Kris Tapley. The only way Oyelowo can hope to edge his way into Best Actor conversation is for his performance to literally blow the roof off the Egyptian. People will have to be staggering out of the theatre that day, weeping and gasping and holding onto each other for support.

AFI FEST run from 11.6 through 11.13 at the Dolby Theatre®, the TCL Chinese and the Egyptian with the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel serving as the hang-out base.