DC-related ‘Sniper,’ ‘Selma’ up for Oscars

Two films with Washington connections — “Selma” and “American Sniper” — are up for the biggest prize of the night at the Academy Awards.

The nominees for the 87th Oscars were announced Thursday morning.

{mosads}Best Picture nominee “Selma,” which depicts the 1965 voting rights march, had its Washington premiere at the Newseum last month.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon and one of the leaders of the march, is portrayed in the film by actor Stephan James. Lewis said in an interview about the film that he became emotional when he met James on the movie’s set last year.

“Seeing myself being played is almost too much,” Lewis told The Washington Post.

“American Sniper” stars Bradley Cooper as real-life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle — the most lethal sniper in the country’s military history. The drama received multiple Oscar nods, including nominations in the Best Picture and the Best Actor categories, among others.

The 40-year-old actor was in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to introduce the film to a VIP crowd at the U.S. Navy Memorial. Vice President Biden was among the audience members at the event.

Cooper told ITK he hoped the movie sends a message to lawmakers that “these vets need help.”

Other films up for Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars include: “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash.”

The Academy Awards ceremony airs Feb. 22 on ABC.