As Martin Luther King, Jr. Day dawned on Pocatello and Chubbuck, one absence drew the attention of the local NAACP.

    The movie “Selma” was not playing at the Carmike 10 in Chubbuck, nor is it planned for the theater. In reaction, the Pocatello chapter of the NAACP has started a letter writing campaign with the goal of bringing the movie to our area.

    “Selma” is a historical movie,” said Pocatello NAACP chapter president Bobbie Branch. “The events may have passed but it still has implications for us today. We are concerned that particularly the young are just not aware of what people went through to have the freedoms we do today.”

    Branch has been personally pressing the theater to show the critically-acclaimed King biopic, but was told that those decisions are made by Carmike’s corporate offices located in Columbus, Ga.

    Both local and national Carmike representatives did not return calls for comment.

    Currently, if people want to see “Selma” they will need to drive to Boise.

    Branch mentioned her quest to bring “Selma” to town at the most recent Pocatello City Council meeting.

    While the Pocatello City Council has no jurisdiction over the Carmike 10, council members urged the public to contact the theater and make their voices heard if they wanted “Selma” to be shown locally.

    “If you have issues with that, please contact the Carmike 10 to let them know,” council member Eva Johnson Nye said.

    The film is in its fourth week in wide release, netting more than $8.7 million over the weekend. That put it into fifth place in the box office rankings behind number 1, “American Sniper.” Just last week 56 more theaters picked up the film, making a total of 2,235 places nationwide where people can see it. In contrast, “American Sniper” was shown in 3,555 theaters.

    “I can see why Pocatello does not get a lot of black movies produced because of the small number of minorities here in the community,” Branch said.

    About 1 percent of Pocatello’s population is black, according to Census Bureau data. Across Idaho, fewer than 0.8 percent of residents are black or of African American descent.

    “But all people enjoy watching these movies,” Branch added.

    The  movie ratings website RottenTomatoes.com says that 88 percent of the almost 31,000 people who watched the movie liked it. Professional critics on the site give it a more than 99 percent approval rating, with only two critics having something disparaging to say.

    “It behoves us locally to make sure that there is more diversity in entertainment in Pocatello,” Branch told the City Council.

    Those who wish to participate in the letter writing campaign can send a letter to: Carmike Cinemas, Inc., P.O. Box 391, Columbus, GA 31901.

    “We would love as many people as possible to join us in this letter-writing campaign,” Branch said.