SM Cinema and Expression Music Philippines Celebrate the Life of Dr. Don Shirley with Release of ‘Green Book’

Witness the extraordinary power of friendship as Oscar Awards Best Picture nominee, Green Book finally arrives at SM Cinema!

In line with the release of the movie, SM Cinema partnered with Expression Music Philippines for the exhibit of the life of Dr. Don Shirley at the Event Cinema at the SM Mall of Asia. Several students of the Expression Music Philippines, a prestigious music school in the country, held a piano recital in the venue to pay tribute to the critically acclaimed film megged by Peter Farrelly.

Green Book features the inspiring true to life story of world-class African-American pianist, Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali). About to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South, he hires tough-talking Italian-American bouncer, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), to accompany him on his journey. Happening in an era plagued with blatant racism and segregation, the two form an unlikely bond as they face these challenges together, transcending all their differences.

Award-Winning Actors Viggo Mortensen And Mahershala Ali Forge An Unlikely Friendship Via Roda Trip In "Green Book"

Golden Globe (2019) winner for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), with major nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Viggo Mortensen), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mahershala Ali), Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing  in the upcoming 91st Academy Awards,  the buddy road trip movie “Green Book” takes its title from The Negro Motorist Green Book, an annual travel guide that was published annually from 1936 to 1966, which listed businesses and other establishments that served Black customers and enabled Black travelers to plan their road trips to help them avoid harassment, arrest, or violence.

The Green Book, as it was called, was created and published by an African-American New York City mailman, Victor Hugo Green, and became an indispensable survival tool for African Americans travelling by car.  Originally it covered only the New York area, but it gradually expanded to cover most of North America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.  In the U.S, it became invaluable in the South, where Jim Crow segregation laws varied by county and state, and unofficial rules in “Sundown towns” forbade Black Americans from being out after dark.  After President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation between black and white became illegal, The Green Book was no longer needed, and it slowly faded into history. 

“GREEN BOOK” Charms Its Way With Top Nominations At This Year's Oscars

In black and white, “The Green Book” clearly made it as one of the front runners for Best Picture at this year’s (2019) Oscar race clutching more nominations in various categories such as Best Actor in a Leading Role (Viggo Mortensen), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mahershala Ali), Best Original Screenplay and Best in Film Editing.

Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures) star in Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book.  In his powerful foray into dramatic work as a feature director, Peter Farrelly helms the film, inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class and societal constraints of the early 1960s.