First trailer for oscar-tipped julianne moore gay rights drama freeheld

Julianne Moore looks set to be in the Oscar race yet again with a role in fact-based legal drama Freeheld, where she plays opposite Ellen Page. The trailer for the awards-tipped film has

just been released and shows the pair as domestic partners who become embroiled in a battle for equality when police officer Moore is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Moore's

character then fights to ensure her pension benefits are passed on to her girlfriend. The film also stars Steve Carell as the founder of an organisation that advocates for equal LGBT rights

and Michael Shannon as Moore's co-worker. It's based on a short documentary film, also called Freeheld, and comes from director Peter Sollett, best known for Nick and Norah's

Infinite Playlist. The screenplay is written by Ron Nyswaner, who wrote the Oscar-nominated script for Philadelphia. After earning four nominations throughout her career, Moore finally won

an Oscar earlier this year for her role as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Still Alice. She joins other early favourites such as Cate Blanchett in romantic drama Carol and

Jennifer Lawrence in Miracle Mop comedy Joy. Her co-star Page came out while filming and spoke of her experience to Entertainment Weekly earlier this year. "To be shooting the movie so

soon after coming out was some of the most joy I've ever felt on a film set, which is a tricky thing to say because we're telling a story that's incredibly tragic," she

said. "But the feeling of being out and playing someone who's gay, and someone whose courage has allowed me to live my life, that feels amazing." * Freeheld hits US cinemas on

2 October with a UK date as yet unconfirmed