may be a repost, but what the heck it's BHMonth.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed middle and high school students from
the District of Columbia area and New Orleans taking part in an
interactive student workshop with the cast and crew of the film.
Dark horse Oscar contender “Beasts of the Southern Wild” got a
high-powered endorsement for its Academy Award campaign on Wednesday
from First Lady Michelle Obama.
The First Lady screened the indie sensation for a group of students at
the White House on Wednesday, calling it "one of the most powerful and
important movies that has been put out this year — or in a long time,
quite frankly."
The White House event for Black History Month included students from
Washington, D.C., and some from the New Orleans area, where "Beasts" was
filmed.
The First Lady was joined by director Benh Zeitlin, actor Dwight Henry, and nine-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis — whose name the First Lady struggled to pronounce.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” actress Quvenzhané Wallis is the youngest actress ever to be nominated for Best Actress.
Wallis, who looked pretty in pink, gave the First Lady permission to call her by her nickname, "Q."
Michelle Obama told the students that she saw the movie this summer
with a group of friends and family ranging in age from three to 75 years
old.
"But it's rare these days to find a movie that can so completely and
utterly captivate such a broad audience, and that was one of the things
that struck me about this movie," she said. "It managed to be beautiful,
joyful and devastatingly honest."
The low-budget film is nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.
Wallis is the youngest-ever nominee for the Best Actress award.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
"Like Benh and Dwight and Quvenzhané, what I want you all to understand
is that you have to do the work," First Lady Michelle Obama stressed to
the assembled students. "That's my message: You have to do the work."
Michelle Obama went on to urge the students to believe in their own potential.
"This event is important to me not only because I love and believe in
this film, but also because I deeply love and believe in all of you,"
she said. "Do you understand that? I deeply love and believe all of you
and I haven't even met you. But I know you're out there and I know your
potential, I know your promise."
"But like Benh and Dwight and Quvenzhané, what I want you all to
understand is that you have to do the work," she added. "That's my
message: You have to do the work."
Specifically, she told them to go to school, read and keep their bodies strong by eating healthy foods.
"Think about who you want to be, and dream big," she advised them. "Don't aim low; aim high."
klee@nydailynews.com
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