News

Ava DuVernay has only made five narrative features, but she’s one of the busiest women in Hollywood.

Before 2023, the California-born filmmaker’s last feature was her “A Wrinkle in Time” adaptation, released in theaters in 2018 — a five-year gap between releases that’s partially attributable to projects that sputtered in development like DC’s “New Gods” film and a Prince biopic. And yet, DuVernay has remained a constant presence during that relatively long gap, translating her numerous talents to producing and TV work. She created and directed the acclaimed Netflix miniseries “When They See Us,” about the controversial Central Park Five case. Several other TV projects followed, including OWN’s “Cherish the Day,” Netflix’s “Colin in Black and White,” and The CW’s “Naomi.” But while many of those projects have been terrific, it’s great to see the director of great films like “Middle of Nowhere” and “Selma...

Ava DuVernay's latest movie, Origin, has received a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, continuing her positive trend on the review site. Origin has been praised for its incredible performances, writing, and directing, as it explores heavy topics of race and class while telling the inspiring story of a powerful woman. Compared to DuVernay's other films, Origin is her fourth highest-rated movie, with a rating very close to her top three films and higher than her lowest-rated movie, A Wrinkle in Time.

Ava DuVernay continues an impressive and rare trend on Rotten Tomatoes as her latest movie, Origin, earns a "Fresh" rating. The biopic drama centers on Isabel Wilkerson's (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) journey to writing her acclaimed nonfiction work Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents while navigating a tragedy in her personal life. It received high recognition at the Venice Film Festival last year, where it was selected to compete...

Welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast. I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline.

As schedules go, they could not record together, so we’re having another double episode today, but this time with Origin director Ava DuVernay and the film’s star Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

Origin is based on Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 bestseller Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents and tracks the Pulitzer Prize winner’s creative and personal journey over several continents through grief, revelation and the evils of historical stratification. The film draws parallels between historical and modern-day oppression and persecution across the world. By weaving global threads of cruelty and dehumanization together, it underscores the timeless – and timely – dangers of extremist ideology and leaders who exploit prejudice.

King Richard Oscar nominee Ellis-Taylor plays Wilkerson, and she’ll also be featured in Netflix/Lee Daniels’ film The Deliverance opposite Andra Day and Glenn Close,...

Ava DuVernay is one of the most fascinating and trailblazing filmmakers in the business.

She’s an Emmy and BAFTA award winner and an Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, whose middle name should be “First.” For 2012’s Middle of Nowhere, she became the first Black woman to win Sundance Film Festival’s best director prize. With 2014’s Selma, the first studio film ever made about Dr. Martin Luther King, she became the first Black woman to direct a film that was nominated for the best director Golden Globe and the first Black woman to direct a film that was nominated for the best picture Oscar. With 2016’s 13th, the first documentary to ever open the New York Film Festival, she became the first Black woman to receive an Oscar nomination as a director in a feature category. With 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time, she became the first Black woman to...

DuVernay is currently in awards contention with biographical drama Origin.

Casting directors organisation Casting Society has named writer-director-producer Ava DuVernay as recipient of its Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement.

The award will be present at the US-based Society’s annual Artios Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on March 7.

DuVernay is currently in awards contention for her biographical drama Origin, about caste systems and how they have shaped America. Her previous films include Selma, documentary 13th, Middle Of Nowhere and A Wrinkle In Time.

Casting Society president Destiny Lilly said: “Ava DuVernay is a visionary storyteller who has staunchly championed...

She’s a writer, producer, director and Oscar-nominated documentarian, and Ava DuVernay soon will be a Casting Society career honoree.

CSA said today that the Array founder will receive its 2024 Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the 39th annual Artios Awards gala March 7 in Los Angeles.

“Ava DuVernay is a visionary storyteller who has staunchly championed casting professionals and the art of casting throughout her impactful career,” CSA President said Destiny Lilly said. “Her passion for inclusive and progressive casting throughout her career has catapulted careers and made her a leader in the industry.”

DuVernay’s most recent film is Origin, starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, which premiered at Venice and was nominated for the Golden Lion there. Along with the Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary 13th, her big-screen credits also include Selma, Middle of Nowhere and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made her the highest-grossing Black female director in U.S.

In quick succession, filmmaker Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to win the Sundance Award for Best Directing for “Middle of Nowhere” (2010). Then the first black woman to be nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Picture for “Selma” (2014). That one two-punch meant most doors opened to DuVernay, who would go on to win a Primetime Emmy Award, an NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award for docs and series like “The 13th” (2016), and “When They See Us” (2019).

Continue reading Ava DuVernay Suggests She Won’t Go Back To Studio “Team” Films After ‘Wrinkle In Time’ at The Playlist.

Ava DuVernay has ended her rich overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, multiple sources confirm to Variety.

While news of this decision comes amid the writers strike, the contract talks were unrelated. DuVernay’s deal was set to expire on May 31 and the two parties came to a “mutual decision not to renew.”

DuVernay signed the multi-year agreement in 2018, which was reported to be valued at $100 million, following the parties’ successful collaboration on OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” which signed off last year after seven seasons.

“Ava DuVernay is one of the leading lights in our industry, a brilliantly talented writer, producer, director and entrepreneur whose ability to inspire with her art is exceeded only by her ability to entertain,” former Warner Bros. TV chief Peter Roth said in a statement announcing the pact. (Channing Dungey is the current chairman and CEO of Wbtvg.)

Under the pact, DuVernay also produced...

Exclusive: Lulu Wilson (The Wrath of Becky), Omari Hardwick (Power) and Trae Romano (Stargirl) are set to star in Xeno, a new film that writer, director and VFX Artist Matthew Loren Oates (Farewell Bender) will direct for Kevin Hart‘s Hartbeat, from his own script.

In the film poised to enter production in Albuquerque on May 8th, a teenage girl befriends a terrifying alien that crash-lands in the desert near her home. As government agents close in, the girl protects her dangerous new companion while also dealing with her depressed mother and the mother’s abusive boyfriend.

The Xeno announcement follows news that Hartbeat is developing the comedy The Backup, produced by and starring Keke Palmer, for Universal Pictures, as well as a feature adaptation of Danielle Nicolet’s short Black Karen, which emerged from Nicolet’s time as part of Hartbeat’s Women Write Now screenwriting fellowship.

Kevin Hart,...

The ensemble for Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay’s upcoming film “Caste” is growing more star-studded with the addition of Niecy Nash-Betts, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Connie Nielsen.

The six actors join Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis, who was previously announced as the lead in the film inspired by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” Described in The New York Times as “an instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far,” the book — and subsequently DuVernay’s film — examines the system of hierarchy that has shaped America.

DuVernay writes, directs and produces the film alongside her longtime collaborator Array Filmworks’ Paul Garnes. “Caste” is currently in production in Georgia, financed by J4A.

Nash-Betts and Farmiga reunite with DuVernay after each earning Emmy nominations for their performances in the 2019 Netflix...

Oprah Winfrey sure knows how to throw a party.

Oprah Daily reported on the epic three-day birthday bash that Winfrey threw for Ava DuVernay, celebrating the Emmy-winning director’s 50th birthday at Winfrey’s home in Maui.

In attendance were Winfrey’s Bff Gayle King, Niecy Nash and Colman Domingo.

Ser Baffo Ser Baffo

As Winfrey recalled, her friendship with DuVernay began a decade ago while she was working on Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” back in 2012, when her co-star David Oyelowo recommended she check out an indie film called “Middle of Nowhere”, which DuVernay had directed.

Read More: Oprah Winfrey And Ava DuVernay Talk Inclusion — Not ‘Diversity’ — In ‘Hollywood Reporter’ Cover Story

“I then Googled who directed the movie because I had not heard of Ava DuVernay at the time,” she said. “There was this beautiful photograph of this lovely Black woman who was wearing glasses just like me. I thought,...

The ever-burgeoning slate of Ava DuVernay’s media collective has a new boss, and it’s a familiar face.

Paul Garnes, Queen Sugar executive producer and Array’s Head of Physical Production, is now the President of Array Filmworks, the Oscar-nominated DuVernay revealed Thursday. With previous Filmworks chief Sarah Bremner taking a personal hiatus, according to Array, Garnes’ promotion comes just over a year and a few months after the seasoned producer, line producer and production manager became the now 10-year-old collective’s production guru.

“Paul has been my true and trusted partner for the past decade, the one who takes my dreams off the page and makes them a reality on the set and beyond,” DuVernay said of Garnes, her longtime collaborator since her Sundance-winning Middle of Nowhere and Oscar-nominated Selma. “He’s simply the best at what he does and the way that he does it — with warmth and wisdom,...

Paul Garnes has been named president of Array Filmworks. The company’s current president, Sarah Bremner, is stepping down for a personal hiatus, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.

“Sarah is a thoughtful executive who has built a wonderful creative development team here and is respected by our showrunners and artists. I’m grateful for her time at Array, look forward to continuing our friendship and wish her good health and happiness always,” said Array founder Ava DuVernay.

Garnes is the long-time producing partner of DuVernay. He previously served as Array’s head of physical production. In his new role, he will oversee all aspects of creative development, physical production and post-production for the company’s television and film slate.

“Paul has been my true and trusted partner for the past decade, the one who takes my dreams off the page and makes them a reality on the set and beyond,...

Array head of physical production Paul Garnes is moving to lead the organization’s content company Array Filmworks.

Garnes, Ava DuVernay’s producing partner since her 2011 Sundance-winning debut feature Middle of Nowhere, is replacing president Sarah Bremner, who was hired from Netflix in May 2020 and is stepping down for a personal hiatus. “Sarah is a thoughtful executive who has built a wonderful creative development team here and is respected by our showrunners and artists,” DuVernay said in a statement. “I’m grateful for her time at Array, look forward to continuing our friendship and wish her good ...

Array head of physical production Paul Garnes is moving to lead the organization’s content company Array Filmworks.

Garnes, Ava DuVernay’s producing partner since her 2011 Sundance-winning debut feature Middle of Nowhere, is replacing president Sarah Bremner, who was hired from Netflix in May 2020 and is stepping down for a personal hiatus. “Sarah is a thoughtful executive who has built a wonderful creative development team here and is respected by our showrunners and artists,” DuVernay said in a statement. “I’m grateful for her time at Array, look forward to continuing our friendship and wish her good ...

Jon M. Chu’s long-awaited film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” should have debuted to critical acclaim. From the dynamic musical numbers to the film’s stars, which include “Hamilton” standout Anthony Ramos, “Orange Is The New Black” star Dasha Polanco, and “Straight Outta Compton” breakout Corey Hawkins, all the signs pointed to another progressive hit on par with Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians.”

Instead, in a film that was supposed to immortalize present-day Washington Heights — in a community called the Little Dominican Republic — the lack of Black and brown faces on screen was glaring. After all, 90 percent of Dominicans are of African descent. Unfortunately, as it is with “In the Heights,” colorism is pervasive in Latinidad. As a result, exhausting conversations about skin color, an entire market for skin lightening creams, and generation-long skin color preferences within families persist. All of this stems from rampant racism,...

The Russian Dolls are strongly positioned to win the Golden Mask, having made it into the Super 6 with their solid gold version of “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars on April 21. The April 28 episode is a special sing-along show, which is sure to feature several of the performances by the Russian Dolls. We’ve gone back and looked at all of the appearances to date as well as their clues videos. We think that we know who is nestling inside these costumes. Keep reading for all “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the real names of the Russian Dolls.

The Russian Dolls continue to surprise us on “The Masked Singer.” They were the very first act to perform on season 5 of the show and nailed their cover of the Michael Jackson classic “Man in the Mirror.” When they sang “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo in Week 6, we got confirmation that...

The Russian Dolls have already made history on “The Masked Singer” as the first trio to compete for the Golden Mask. They made it into the Super 8 (shouldn’t that be the Super 10) showcased on the April 21 episode of season 5 based on their stand-out performance of “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo last week.

We got confirmation in Week 6 that there were indeed just three of them. This made the guesses by the judges that they were Pentatonix (5 members) or 98 Degrees (4 members) moot. And we’re sure they are all men, which means that the Russian Dolls can’t be Lady A. Keep reading for all “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the real names of the Russian Dolls.

We think that the Russian Dolls are another chart-topping trio: the Hanson Brothers.

In Week 6, the Russian Dolls revealed that they got their start by performing in parking lots and softball fields.

“The Masked Singer” welcomed back after a two-week absence the celebrities in Group A on April 14. While this is only episode 6 of season 5, it is already the Group A final. Vying to continue on in the competition are three contenders who have been part of Group A since they first performed on March 10 — Robopine, Russian Dolls and Seashell — plus the Wild Card entry Orca, who first sang on March 24.

That episode marked the end of the line for Raccoon, who turned out to be “Machete” star Danny Trejo. He was bounced from the show after his cover of “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash failed to ignite any passion from the four judges.

Conversely, Russian Dolls once again wowed the panel with their cover of the Shawn Mendes hit “Wonder.” We’ve watched that performance as well as their March 10 debut with “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Keep...

Array Releasing has acquired the documentary “In Our Mothers’ Gardens,” which marks filmmaker Shantrelle P. Lewis’ directorial debut.

Array president Tilane Jones announced the acquisition on Thursday, along with news that the film will be released in select theaters and begin streaming on Netflix on May 6.

“’In Our Mothers’ Gardens’ is a beautiful tribute to the complex relationships between Black women connected by lineage and love,” Jones said in a statement. “Released in celebration of Mother’s Day, we are honored to present Ms. Lewis’ feature debut highlighting important bonds between daughters, mothers and grandmothers told by a dynamic group of women.”

The documentary debuted at the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival and subsequently earned the Shine Award for best film. The movie features interviews with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke; Tina Farris (tour manager for talent including The Roots and Chris Rock); cultural critic Dr. Brittney Cooper (Rutgers University); Rev. Dr. Theresa S.

Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing has acquired the documentary In Our Mothers’ Gardens, the feature film debut of director, curator, and author Shantrelle P. Lewis. The film is set to debut theatrically in select cities and on Netflix starting fittingly on Mother’s Day, May 6.

In Our Mothers’ Gardens celebrates the strength and resiliency of Black women and Black families through the complex, and often times humorous, relationship between mothers and daughters. The film pays homage to Black maternal ancestors while examining the immediate and critical importance of self-care, and the healing tools necessary for Black communities to thrive.

The film features a variety of interviews from #MeToo founder Tarana Burke; The Roots and Chris Rock tour manager Tina Farris; cultural critic Dr. Brittney Cooper of Rutgers University; Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames of Princeton University; holistic lifestyle maven Latham Thomas; photographer Adama Delphine Fawundu and NPR’s Senior Director for Programming Yolanda Sangweni.

On March 24, the third episode of “The Masked Singer” showcased the four acts from Group A who had won enough votes to stay in the competition after the premiere. They again took to the stage covered completely in cumbersome costumes that disguised them as the Porcupine, Raccoon, Russian Dolls and Seashell.

As much fun as it is to watch these celebrities sing, we derive even more enjoyment from figuring out who they are. Keep reading for “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the real name of the celebrities hidden inside the Russian Dolls costume. They wowed the crowd and the four judges on March 10 with their cover of the Michael Jackson classic “Man in the Mirror.”

We aren’t buying the judges guesses that the Russian Dolls are Boyz II Men or Lady A. But we do think that hidden inside these nesting dolls that are decorated with three flowers are...

When filmmaker, film distributor, and Hollywood heavyweight Ava DuVernay first started working in Hollywood, she got used to typically being the only person who looked like her on set. “It seemed normal, because that’s what’s been normalized,” DuVernay said during a virtual SXSW panel on Friday morning. “I didn’t walk on thinking, ‘I’m the only one,’ but you’re aware you’re the only one. But we work in Hollywood and that’s the way it is.”

But as DuVernay began making her own films and producing and distributing others through her Array company, she realized it didn’t have to be that way. “I thought, ‘oh, wait, there’s a choice here, it doesn’t actually have to be that way. You could actually choose all kinds of people, and people are just choosing not to do that.”

The next step for DuVernay and Array:...

Yaphet Kotto, the American actor known for being the first major Black James Bond villain, has died at the age of 81.

Kotto’s wife, Tessie Sinahon, first revealed the news on Facebook, while Kotto’s agent confirmed his death to Variety. “You played a villain on some of your movies but for me you’re a real hero and to a lot of people also. A good man, a good father, a good husband and a decent human being,” Sinahon said.

Born in New York in 1939, Kotto played villain Kananga and alter ego Mr Big in Roger Moore’s first Bond movie, Live and Let Die, in 1973. It followed appearances in TV shows including Hawaii Five-o and The Big Valley. Kotto went on to play technician Dennis Parker in Alien in 1979.

Later in his career, Kotto notched up credits on Law & Order and The Wire, while his wife said that...

Lorraine Toussaint has signed with Paradigm, Variety has learned exclusively. She continues to be represented by Frontline Management, Jill Fritzo PR, and Myman Greenspan.

Toussaint currently stars in the CBS reboot of “The Equalizer” opposite Queen Latifah. The show was renewed for a second season earlier this week. She will next be seen alongside Idris Elba in the Netflix film “Concrete Cowboy” on April 2. The film had its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Toussaint’s other recent credits include the Showtime drama series “Your Honor” with Bryan Cranston as well as the feature “The Glorias” with Julianne Moore.

She received widespread critical acclaim for her starring role in Season 2 of the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black” as the villainous inmate Vee. She would go on to win a Critics Choice Award for her time on the series. Her other TV credits include shows such as “The Village,...

To celebrate Variety’s 115th anniversary, we went to the archives to see how some of Hollywood’s biggest stars first landed in the pages of our magazine. Read more from the archives here.

Ava DuVernay is a force of nature. She was virtually unknown six years ago but now she’s one of the most recognizable filmmakers in Hollywood. Her background in PR was certainly a help — but her talents go way beyond a sense of promotion.

Her role as a publicist was the focus of her first mention in Variety, on March 8, 2000. The story began “Ava DuVernay, former mPRm Public Relations senior exec, has gone solo with the formation of the DuVernay Agency.”

The story said the client roster at her “boutique agency” already included CBS and Columbia TriStar Television, as well as individual film projects from companies including Miramax and Trimark. The company was said to specialize...

Ava DuVernay is producing the first-ever Native American family drama developed for network television. Titled “Sovereign,” the potential series has received a put pilot commitment, the broadcaster said Friday.

The “When They See Us” creator will executive produce the project, with Bird Runningwater, who belongs to the Cheyenne and Mescalero Apache Tribal Nations, acting as co-executive producer. The pilot for the family drama was written by Sydney Freeland (“Drunktown’s Finest”), a member of the Navajo Nation, and Shaz Bennett (“Bosch”) from a story by DuVernay.

Per NBC, “The groundbreaking project chronicles the lives, loves and loyalties of a sprawling, contemporary Indigenous family struggling to control the future of their tribe against outside forces and themselves.”

DuVernay’s Array Filmworks will produce “Sovereign” in association with Warner Bros. Television, where the filmmaker has an overall deal. Freeland and Bennett are executive producers with DuVernay, alongside Array’s Sarah Bremner and...

NBC has given a put pilot commitment to the Native American family drama “Sovereign,” which boasts Ava DuVernay among its executive producers.

The pilot was written by Sydney Freeland and Shaz Bennett from a story by DuVernay. All three will executive produce with Bird Runningwater co-executive producing. Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of DuVernay’s Array Filmworks will also co-executive produce. Array will produce in association with Warner Bros. Television, where DuVernay is currently under an overall deal.

Per NBC, “Sovereign” marks the first Native American family drama developed for network television. The project chronicles the lives, loves and loyalties of a sprawling Indigenous family struggling to control the future of their tribe against outside forces and themselves.

“Sovereign” marks the latest TV project for DuVernay, who is currently executive producer on the OWN shows “Queen Sugar” and “Cherish the Day.” She also set up the unscripted series “Home Sweet Home...

Activist storytelling has a new outlet. Director Ava DuVernay’s new initiative aims to disrupt the “blue code of silence.” She is sick of cops who kill black people without consequences, whose names don’t even get mentioned in the headlines. DuVernay is launching an initiative designed to hold police officers accountable, whether or not they have been charged for their crimes, through the Law Enforcement Accountability Project initiative.

Leap will fund 25 projects over the next two years, according to The Washington Post. It will be funded through DuVernay’s Array Alliance nonprofit. It has an initial budget of $3 million from contributors including Ryan Murphy and the Ford Foundation. The fund is designed to empower activists to tell stories across multiple forms of media.

“Leap is the Law Enforcement Accountability Project, a propulsive fund dedicated to empowering activists as they pursue narrative change around the police abuse of Black People,...

Ava DuVerNay will receive the Television Showman of the Year award at the 57th annual Icg Publicists Awards.

“Ava DuVernay is the talented force behind some of the most acclaimed works in television and film,” said Publicists Awards Co-chair Sheryl Main in making the announcement Thursday. “Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Ava was an entertainment publicist for 12 years with her own firm. She appreciates the importance of creative strategic marketing campaigns and supports the roles of publicists in making a movie. We are proud to honor Ava, her expanding career and growing body of work.”

Winner of Emmy, BAFTA and Peabody Awards, Oscar nominee DuVernay’s directorial work includes the historical feature film Selma, the criminal justice documentary 13th, and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made her the highest grossing black woman director in American box office history. Her limited series When They See Us, based on the...

When composer Kathryn Bostic read the script for “Clemency” she was struck by how “visceral” and “riveting” it was. It hit upon “that raw emotion that you feel when you deal with the idea of death row.” But more than anything she “was really moved by the inner journey of the character of the warden,” who day after day is “dealing with this rite of passage.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Bostic above.

See Alfre Woodard Interview: ‘Clemency’

Alfre Woodard stars in the Neon release as Bernadine Williams, a prison warden grappling with the impending execution of inmate Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge). The film, written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, explores how administering death sentences affects people like Bernadine, something Bostic wanted to express in her music.

Trying to find the correct sound was “a very thoughtful process,” Bostic explains. “We tried a lot of different approaches sonically to...

The 2020 Sundance Film Festival has broken a record weeks before it begins: Of the 16 films in Dramatic Competition, seven tell stories primarily about the lives of black characters: “The 40-Year-Old Version,” “Charm City Kings,” “Farewell Amor,” “Miss Juneteenth,” “Nine Days,” “Sylvie’s Love” and “Zola.”

Surveying the last 30 years of Sundance, there’s usually been at least one in-competition film with black leads. In 1992 and 1989, there was one black film in competition, while 1993 had two. But prior to 2020, there had never been more than five.

Black filmmakers saw a renaissance in the late ’80s and early ’90s, a period that introduced Spike Lee, Wendell B. Harris Jr, Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Julie Dash, Matty Rich, the Hudlin Brothers, Leslie Harris, and others. Some of their films premiered and competed at Sundance, but even then they never composed a significant presence.

Between 1989 and 1993, a total of 10 films with black leads...

Ava DuVernay and Sam Rockwell will receive the director and actor tributes, respectively, at this year's Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Writer-director-producer DuVernay received an Oscar nomination and won two Emmys for her criminal justice documentary 13th. Her latest work, the four-part series When They See Us, is nominated for 16 Emmys and tells the true story of five Harlem teens of color who were wrongfully convicted of the rape of a white female jogger in the 1989 Central Park case. DuVernay's other credits include the films Middle of Nowhere, Selma and A Wrinkle in Time and, on the TV side, Queen Sugar and ...

Ava DuVernay and Sam Rockwell will receive the director and actor tributes, respectively, at this year's Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Writer-director-producer DuVernay received an Oscar nomination and won two Emmys for her criminal justice documentary 13th. Her latest work, the four-part series When They See Us, is nominated for 16 Emmys and tells the true story of five Harlem teens of color who were wrongfully convicted of the rape of a white female jogger in the 1989 Central Park case. DuVernay's other credits include the films Middle of Nowhere, Selma and A Wrinkle in Time and, on the TV side, Queen Sugar and ...

After making the jump to blockbuster studio filmmaking with her 2018 Disney adaptation “A Wrinkle in Time,” Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay is preparing for the next stop on her ascent up the Hollywood ladder: a DC superhero comic book adaptation with some serious cosmic energy. The “Selma” and “Middle of Nowhere” director was hired into the DC Extended Universe fold in March of 2018, where she will take on a long-hinted at side of the DC world.

“The New Gods” is based on the comic book series of the same name, the brainchild of creator/designer Jack Kirby. It first appeared in 1971 and focuses on the warring inhabitants of two planets: New Genesis and Apokolips. Highfather rules the former in relative harmony, whereas Darkseid lords over its dystopian neighbor.

While news about the project has been relatively slim since DuVernay came on board last year, the social media-savvy creator has recently started...

Spider-Man: Far from Home is weaving an expansive web over the Fourth of July holiday frame, pushing new specialties to find space in upcoming weeks. There are a few brave indies hoping to grab some residuals over the long weekend, however. Sundance doc Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love will launch in several L.A. and New York locations. Distributor Roadside Attractions is hoping to ride a wave of music docs that have scored well in the box office with summer rollouts in recent years. Thriller Skin in the Game dramatizes the human trafficking in America. Specialty label Kandoo Films, which also produced the title, is releasing it day-and-date. Gravitas Ventures, meanwhile, is spearheading on-demand for the Armed Forces action-drama Above the Best. The producers are organizing limited theatrical events/showings for the feature, including one this weekend in Houston.

Additional limited releases over the holiday include Screen Media action-thriller Cold Blood...

Ava DuVernay pulled an unexpected surprise with her Netflix limited series, “When They See Us,” about the notorious Central Park 5 jogger case, giving special attention to the Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome) prison ordeal in the Part 4 finale, cut by her go-to editor Spencer Averick.

After introducing the five Harlem youths and their families in the first three parts, taking us through their horrific loss of innocence and freedom as a result of racial and social injustice from police and prosecution alike, culminating with the release of the four youngest ex-cons, DuVernay turned inward with a mini-movie about Wise’s brutal incarceration in adult prison for more than a decade, spent primarily in solitary confinement.

Wise always maintained that it was the Central Park 4 Plus 1. And now we learn why. He was the odd boy out, who wasn’t even present at the Central Park scene of the crime in 1989, but...

Ava DuVernay pulled an unexpected surprise with her Netflix limited series, “When They See Us,” about the notorious Central Park 5 jogger case, giving special attention to the Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome) prison ordeal in the Part 4 finale, cut by her go-to editor Spencer Averick.

After introducing the five Harlem youths and their families in the first three parts, taking us through their horrific loss of innocence and freedom as a result of racial and social injustice from police and prosecution alike, culminating with the release of the four youngest ex-cons, DuVernay turned inward with a mini-movie about Wise’s brutal incarceration in adult prison for more than a decade, spent primarily in solitary confinement.

Wise always maintained that it was the Central Park 4 Plus 1. And now we learn why. He was the odd boy out, who wasn’t even present at the Central Park scene of the crime in 1989, but...

Ana DuVernay subverts injustice in the emotionally jarring When They See Us.

facebook

twitter

tumblr

This When They See Us review contains no spoilers except historical.

New York City was displaced over the past generation as gentrification became tourism friendly. The seeds of the changing face of the city come from the urban fears which gave rise to films like Taxi Driver and Death Wish. The 1980s saw a subway vigilante symbolize knee-jerk reactionaries to a nationwide audience. The decade ended on headlines of a horrifically callous rape in Central Park and teenage "wilding." When They See Us is a long hard look at an open wound which finally offers something more than a scab as healing.

Ava DuVernay, who directed the four installments, and co-wrote the screenplay with Attica Locke, Robin Swicord, Michael Starrbury and Julian Breece, does an amazing job. Parts of When They See Us hurt to watch,...

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Analeigh Tipton star.

Los Angeles-based Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) leaves for Cannes with two female-led thrillers from Howard Barish’s Kandoo Films.

Peg has acquired international rights to Hospitality (pictured) starring Emmanuelle Chriqui and Broken Star with Analeigh Tipton as the leads.

Chriqui plays a mother with a checkered past in Hospitality; a mother who must protect her son when an ex-con (Sam Trammell) checks into her isolated bed and breakfast searching for money he stashed on her property years ago.

Jr Bourne, Conner McVicker, and Jim Beaver round out the key cast. Nick Chakwin and David Guglielmo wrote and directed the film,...

While the Competition at the 71st Festival de Cannes (May 8-19) so far includes only three women directors, Cannes has selected many films from women filmmakers in such sidebars as Un Certain Regard, Critics’ Week, and Directors’ Fortnight. And the Competition jury led by president Cate Blanchett is dominated by women.

The jury features five women, four men, seven nationalities, and five continents. They will reveal the winners on Saturday, May 19 during the Closing Ceremony.

The 2018 Jury

Cate Blanchett – President (Australian actress, producer)

Chang Chen (Chinese actor)

Ava DuVernay (American writer, director, producer)

Robert Guédiguian (French director, writer, producer)

Khadja Nin (Burundian songwriter, composer, singer)

Léa Seydoux (French actress)

Kristen Stewart (American actress)

Denis Villeneuve (Canadian director, writer)

Andrei Zvyagintsev (Russian director, writer)

Cannes Biographies (below):

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s “A Brighter Summer Day.” He rose to...

Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart, Denis Villeneuve, Chang Chen, Robert Guédiguian, Khadja Nin, Léa Seydoux and Andrey Zvyagintsev have been named members of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury.

They will join Cate Blanchett, who was previously named president of the jury at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.

During the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, the jury is made up of five women and four men, only the third time that women have made up a majority of the jury. All three times have come in the last 10 years.

The jurors are of seven nationalities and from five continents.

Also Read: Cannes Lineup Reaches From Spike Lee to Jean-Luc Godard

Blanchett marks the first female jury president since Jane Campion served in 2014. Other women to take on the role this century include Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert and Liv Ullmann. It is the 12th time in festival history a woman has headed the jury. Director, screenwriter and actress Jeanne Moreau served twice, with all others putting in one year each.

The Cannes Film Festival will take over the south of France from May 8-19.

See the full bios for the jury members courtesy of the festival organizers below.

Also Read: Cannes Will Welcome Back Lars von Trier, Says Festival Director

Chang Chen – Chinese actor

Chang Chen made his film debut in the late Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day. He rose to fame in the Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000. His film credits include “Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together” (1997), 2046 (2004), “The Grandmaster” (2013), Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “Three Times” (2005) and “The Assassin” (2015), Tian Zhuangzhuang’s “The Go Master” (2006) John Woo’s “Red Cliff” (2008-2009) “The Last Supper” directed by Lu Chuan (2012). In 2017, he returned for Yang Lu’s film Brotherhood of “Blades II” and recently played in “Forever Young” by Fangfang Li.

Ava DuVernay – American writer, director, producer

Nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe and winner of the BAFTA and Emmy, Ava DuVernay is a writer, director, producer and film distributor known for the historical drama “Selma” (2014), the criminal justice documentary “13th” (2016) and the recent Disney cinematic adaptation of the classic children’s novel A wrinkle in Time. Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Best Director Prize for her film “Middle of Nowhere,” DuVernay amplifies the work of people of color and women directors through her film collective Array.

Robert Guédiguian – French director, writer, producer

The work of Robert Guédiguian, an activist filmmaker, celebrates the city of Marseille where he grew up. Acclaimed by critics when he first started directing in the 80s, he met public success with Marius and Jeannette, which won the Prix Louis-Delluc in 1997.

His film credits include “Marie-Jo et ses deux amours” (2002) “Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars” (2004) “Le Voyage en Arménie” (2007) “Lady Jane” (2008) “L’armée du crime” (2009) “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (2011). His latest film in date, “The House by the Sea” (2017), received enthusiastic response from critics and audience.

Khadja Nin – Burundian songwriter, composer, singer

Youngest of a family of eight Khadja Nin studied music at an early age, before leaving Africa to go to Europe. Her albums are a mix of occidental popmusic, African and afro-cuban rhythms. She gained wide recognition and success with “Sambolera Mayi Son.” “Ya…” (“From me to you”) is a wonderful tribute to Mandela and the video of her song “Mama” was directed by Jeanne Moreau. International Artist, she became a Unicef and Acp Observatory on Migration Good Will Ambassador. She was awarded the Prize “Prix de l’Action Feminine” by the African Women’s League in 2016. She has been committed to support ordinary heroes.

Léa Seydoux – French actress

Rising to fame with Christophe Honoré’s “The Beautiful Person” in 2008, Léa Seydoux is an award-winning actress, notably the Palme d’Or for Abdelatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Colour” in 2013. She successfully alternates between author and mainstream films. Her film credits include Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Dear Prudence” and “Grand Central,” Benoît Jacquot’s “Farewell, My Queen” and “Diary of a Chambermaid,” Bertrand Bonello’s “Saint Laurent,” Sam Mendes’ “Spectre,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” and Xavier Dolan’s “It’s Only the End of the World.”

Kristen Stewart – American actress

Kristen Stewart has been playing roles since an early age and received widespread recognition in 2008 for “The Twilight Saga” film series (2008-12). Her film credit includes “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012), “Equals” by Drake Doremus (2015) “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” by Ang Lee (2016), and several Festival de Cannes Selections such as “On the Road” by Walter Salles (2012) “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014) and “Personal Shopper” (2016) both by Olivier Assayas (2014) as well as “Café Society” by Woody Allen. She directed her first short film “Come Swim” in 2017.

Denis Villeneuve – Canadian director, writer

Internationally renowned and recently two-time Academy Award winner for “Blade Runner 2049,” Denis Villeneuve made his debut at the National Film Board of Canada in the early 90’s. His first feature, “Un 32 août sur Terre” (1998) was invited to Cannes. He returned there with “Next Floor” (2008), “Polytechnique” (2009) and the Oscar nominated “Sicario” (2015). In 2010 “Incendies” was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. In 2017, Arrival was nominated for 8 Oscars and 9 BAFTAs, including best movie and best director.

Andreï Zvyagintsev – Russian director, writer

Multi-award winning filmmaker Andreï Zvyagintsev has already become one of the most respected directors in Russian and international cinema. He directed his first feature film in 2003 The Return which won him a “Golden Lion” at the Venice Film Festival. He has continued to write and direct award-winning feature films “The Banishment” (2007), “Elena” (2011) and “Leviathan” (2014). His most recent film “Loveless” won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Festival de Cannes, and was among the nominees at the Golden Globe and 90th Academy Awards.

Read original story Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart Join Cate Blanchett on 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury At TheWrap...

A Wrinkle in Time director and Hollywood hot property, Ava DuVernay, has been snapped up by Warner Bros to helm their latest venture in the DC Universe, New Gods.

The New Gods is a part of the so-called “Fourth World Saga,” a series of four interconnected comic book series are written and drawn by comic book artist Jack Kirby – the man who co-created Black Panther with Stan Lee – when he arrived at DC from rival Marvel in the early 1970s. Mixing social commentary, mythology and science fiction, it sees a war between two alien planets — New Genesis and Apokolips — arrive on Earth when the ruler of the dystopian Apokolips, Darkseid, discovers that humanity holds the key to the Anti-Life Equation, which allows its user to control all living beings in existence.

Also in the news – Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key to reunite for stop-motion feature Wendell and Wild

DuVernay had...

"It was a dark and stormy night." That's the first sentence of Madeline L'Engle's 1962 fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time, a smoke-screen opening salvo that doesn't begin to prep readers for what lies ahead in this beloved kids' book: tesseracts and shape-shifting biddies, shadowy forces and M.I.A. fathers, interdimensional travel and preternaturally genius preteens and the revolutionary notion that a young woman can save the world. From such simple, mundane beginnings spring the skeleton keys that unlock imaginations, and if you can say nothing else about Ava DuVernay's adaptation...

Hanson isn’t here to offer advice to the next generation of pop phenoms -- but if they were, the wisdom they’ve gained is priceless.

“Because we started young, we often get asked to give advice to other young artists,” says Zac Hanson, 32, the band’s youngest member, who was just six years old when they began making music together more than 25 years ago.

“Usually it’s sort of like, ‘Why do we need to give advice? I don’t even know that guy. He’ll be fine,’” he continues. “But I think probably the best advice anyone can have is to study the history, study the artists who came before you because that will make you a better writer, that will make you a better performer, that will give you a better understanding of the landscape you’re going into.”

Including, he says, the daunting, tempting and fleeting fame game.

“We were lucky that...

Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler first met as indie directors at Sundance in 2013, yet their conversation at Vulture Festival at the Hollywood Roosevelt November 19 wasn’t exactly a long-overdue reunion. “Yesterday you were in our suite, looking at fruit wraps?” DuVernay asked.

They are respectively editing “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Black Panther” on the Disney lot (“behind doors two steps away from each other,” according to DuVernay). The expected blockbusters — each budgeted in excess of $100 million — hit theaters three weeks apart in early 2018.

Read More: ‘Black Panther’: 6 Key Shots From Our Newest Look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Next Big Adventure

At 31, Coogler is a year younger than DuVernay was when she first picked up a camera. Nevertheless, he is completely in awe of her “machine”-like ways. “[She] makes TV on the side,” gaped Coogler. “I don’t know how she does it. Literally, I’m in...

With “A Wrinkle in Time,” Ava DuVernay will become the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of over $100 million. She’ll also hopefully deliver a family blockbuster for the ages. Anyone who has seen films like “Middle of Nowhere” and “Selma” know it’s more than likely.

Read More:Ava DuVernay Opens Up About ‘A Wrinkle in Time’: ‘I Love It, but I Don’t Know How It’s Going to Be Received’

“A Wrinkle in Time” is based on the beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle. Newcomer Storm Reid stars as Meg Murry, who sets out on an adventure through time and space to locate her missing father. Chris Pine, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling co-star.

Disney will release “A Wrinkle in Time” in theaters and IMAX March 9. Watch the official trailer below.

Sign Up:Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news!

Neither Ryan Coogler nor Ava DuVernay could have predicted that they’d be making two of 2018’s biggest movies — not when they were 10 years old, and not even four years ago, when they met for the first time at Sundance in 2013.

Coogler’s feature debut, Fruitvale Station, was making its world premiere at the festival, where DuVernay’s breakout, Middle of Nowhere, had opened the year before. They knew each other only from their work but introduced themselves with a long hug “as if we had known each other [personally],” DuVernay said Sunday, in a joint conversation with Coogler for...

In a figurative sense, Nijla Mu’min is coming out from the Middle of Nowhere (she was a Production Assistant on Ava DuVernay’s break out Sundance film) and for those in the industry already in the know, the Filmmaker Magazine 25 Faces multi-disciplinarian might already be on a trajectory towards claiming a space in the storytelling sphere that is entirely her own.

Continue reading...

A Maryland man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend — and then weeping alongside her parents at a press conference while she was missing — was allegedly engaged to another woman at the time of the killing, People confirms.

On Wednesday, Tyler Tessier, 32, of Damascus, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Laura Wallen, 31, according to a statement from Montgomery County Police.

Wallen, a popular 31-year-old high school teacher from Olney, Maryland, was four months pregnant when her body was found in a shallow grave in Damascus on Wednesday, more than a week after she was reported missing,...