The 2018 biographical film about Don Shirley and Tony Lip that won Best Picture is Green Book.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film stars Mahershala Ali as Shirley, an acclaimed African-American pianist, and Viggo Mortensen as Tony “Lip” Vallelonga, an Italian-American bouncer hired to drive and protect him during a 1962 tour of the segregated American South. The story is inspired by interviews, letters, and recollections from the two men and their families.
The title refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide published for Black motorists that listed hotels, restaurants, and service stations willing to serve them during segregation. Green Book premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 and won the People’s Choice Award there.
At the 91st Academy Awards, it won Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Ali, and Best Original Screenplay. A common mix-up is confusing it with Driving Miss Daisy, another race-and-road drama that also won Best Picture.