Oscar-nominated filmmaker Travon Free honors George Floyd, Daunte Wright and more with red carpet suit jacket

Oscar nominee Travon Free let his suit do the talking on the red carpet Sunday night, and it shouted a message of police brutality.

The filmmaker behind “Two Distant Strangers,” nominated for Live Action Short Film, paired black pants, vest and yellow bow tie with a matching yellow suit jacket. But the jacket lining was even more mind-blowing, scripted with the names of Black people killed by police officers in the last several years, including Alton Sterling, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Rayshard Brooks, Tamir Rice and Daunte Wright.

His sneakers named George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others.

“Two Distant Strangers,” written by Free and directed by Free and Martin Desmond Roe, follows a Black graphic designer, Carter James (Joey Bada$$), as he tries to get home to his dog, Jeter, but instead finds himself trapped in a time loop in which he forced to repeatedly relive a confrontation from a white NYPD officer (Andrew Howard).

“I needed to say something about what I was feeling and what I believed a lot of people like me were feeling,” Free told Complex of making the short film.

“It was when the thought occurred to me that having to process the emotions of these deaths over and over every time you hear about them and the cycle of trauma that it takes you through, it feels like the worst version of ‘Groundhog Day.'”

Free is only the fifth Black filmmaker nominated in this category and would be the first winner if he takes home a trophy Sunday.