Story highlights There is Oscars buzz for "Loving"

The stars want to educate audiences about Richard and Mildred Loving

(CNN) When "Loving" director Jeff Nichols was sent a documentary about Richard and Mildred Loving, it upset him that he hadn't known their story.

"I grew up in Arkansas," he told CNN. "I went to Little Rock Central High, site of the desegregation crisis in 1957. I graduated in '97 and I didn't know about this. Why didn't I know about this? This should be a foundational part of our American history."

His film will likely help more people know the Lovings.

"Loving," which opens this week, tells the story of the couple whose interracial marriage in 1958 led to a landmark Supreme Court case and the abolition of anti-marriage laws based on race.

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