Steven Spielberg helped Peter Farrelly get a distributor for 'Green Book'

Filmmaker Peter Farrelly has revealed that veteran director Steven Spielberg played a pivotal role in getting a distributor for his Oscar nominated film "Green Book".

The biographical drama, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, has been nominated for five Oscars at the 91st Academy Awards.

At the film's Awardsline screening, Farrelly told Deadline that he had asked his agent Richard Lovett to show the film to Spielberg.

"'I think he's going to flip if he sees this'," Farrelly recalled telling his agent.

"(Spielberg) watched it at 8am and called me at 10am. He flipped and said it was his favourite buddy movie since 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'," Farrelly said.

The film's editor Patrick J. Don Vito said Spielberg liked it so much that "he watched it five times over two weeks".

The veteran filmmaker then decided to take the film to his banner DreamWorks. The studio struck a distribution deal with Universal who placed the film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The film, which won the Golden Globe for Best Film Musical/Comedy, has now emerged as one of the frontrunner for Oscars.

"Green Book" is based on a true story of friendship and relationship between working class Italian American bouncer who becomes a driver of an African- American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960's American South.