In 2007, Cynthia Wade directed the Oscar-winning short film, Freeheld. The documentary followed New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester in her fight on two fronts: one against cancer, and one to make sure her pension benefits would be given to her same-sex domestic partner, Stacie Andree, after she passed away. Now, a feature film version of their true-life story is on the way from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and director Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist).

Today, the first trailer for Freeheld dropped, which gives us a look at Oscar-winner Julianne Moore as Hester starring alongside Oscar-nominee Ellen Page as Andree. Also starring in the picture are Michael Shannon, Steve Carell, Josh Charles and Luke Grimes. It's certainly a well-timed debut for the film, especially since the Supreme Court recently declared same-sex marriages legal in all states. Freeheld serves as a reminder of a time not so long ago when this wasn't the case, and of those who fought for their rights. The film will open in limited release on October 2nd before expanding to wide release on October 16th.

Watch the first trailer for Freeheld below:

Here's the official synopsis for Freeheld, followed by some new character posters for the film (via IMPA):

Based on the Oscar^®-winning short documentary and adapted by the writer of Philadelphia, Freeheld is the true love story of Laurel Hester [Julianne Moore] and Stacie Andree [Ellen Page] and their fight for justice.  A decorated New Jersey police detective, Laurel is diagnosed with cancer and wants to leave her hard earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie.  However the county officials, Freeholders, conspire to prevent Laurel from doing this. Hard-nosed detective Dane Wells [Michael Shannon], and activist Steven Goldstein [Steve Carell], unite in Laurel and Stacie’s defense, rallying police officers and ordinary citizens to support their struggle for equality.