Ava DuVernay
-
Ava DuVernay's Nipsey Hussle Doc Lands at Netflix After Major Bidding War
Netflix is taking a victory lap after landing rights to a feature-length documentary about the life of Nipsey Hussle. Streamers including Apple and Amazon are also reported to have vied for the project in an intense bidding war that ended in an eight-figure deal. Ava DuVernay will direct in a collaboration between her ARRAY film…
-
Cherish The Day: Ava DuVernay, Xosha Roquemore and Alano Miller Discuss the Day that Changed Their Lives
In her hit song, “Cherish the Day,” Sade croons about “deep love” and how she won’t be caught “running” from it. Easier said (or sung) than done, right? Cue OWN’s upcoming love anthology, aptly titled, Cherish the Day. Late last year, a group of journalists were invited to the lovely ARRAY Creative Campus in Los…
-
Jezebel: Numa Perrier on Combating the Stigma Associated With Sex Work and the Rollercoaster Ride of Film Distribution
Numa Perrier is a force. One of the things I thoroughly appreciated about the film Jezebel was that it didn’t lean on the typical exploitative hyper-sexualized stereotypes of black girls. Instead, it embraced our sexual identities like the warmest hug. But, that’s what happens when you let black women lead the way. The Root sat…
-
Stephen King Speaks on Diversity. Me, Ava DuVernay and Black People, in General, Need Him to Zip It
You know, maybe all the white Hollywood insiders just need to keep diversity’s name out their mouths and just yield the floor to the writers, directors, and actors of color who actually have to deal with the lack thereof. Iconic author Stephen King took to Twitter on Tuesday and came dangerously close to traveling in…
-
Critics Choice Awards 2020: When They See Us Named Best Limited Series, Ava DuVernay Thanks Netflix Who ‘Let a Black Woman Do Her Thing’
So, in an effort to completely overwhelm me during an already overwhelming awards season (yes, this is about me!), the Critics Choice Awards decided to hold their ceremony the night before the Oscar nominations. However, the Critics Choice Awards had more of one thing the Oscars lacked: color. The Critics Choice Award has a shit…
-
Black Excellence: Ava DuVernay Receives First Directors Guild Award Nomination
While the Golden Globes may not have seen her (or any black people to be real), the Directors Guild of America certainly has. The Hollywood Reporter has, um, reported that the Directors Guild of America has released a partial list of their awards nominees for 2020. Among the names released was that of writer, director,…
-
Ava DuVernay and Netflix Formally Respond to When They See Us Lawsuit, Claim Dialogue Is Protected Under First Amendment
Netflix and When They See Us writer-director Ava DuVernay are fighting back on a lawsuit filed against them and the figurative punches are formal. As The Root reported in October, police interrogation firm John E. Reid and Associates filed a lawsuit against DuVernay and the production company/streaming platform in regard to the hit miniseries, claiming…
-
Doing the Work: Ava DuVernay and Yara Shahidi Are Among Glamour's 2019 Women of the Year Honorees
A passion for justice unites the black and brown women honored by Glamour as their 2019 Women of the Year, as Ava DuVernay and Yara Shahidi join the Women of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) on a list that includes Megan Rapinoe, Charlize Theron, Margaret Atwood, Tory Burch, and…
-
Police Interrogation Firm Sues Ava DuVernay and Netflix, Claiming Defamation for When They See Us
John E. Reid and Associates, the firm behind the controversial police interrogation method the Reid Technique, has filed a federal lawsuit against When They See Us writer and director Ava DuVernay and network Netflix for defamation, according to Variety. The firm was founded by John E. Reid, a former Chicago police officer. When They See…
-
She’s a Natural! Gabrielle Union’s Cropped Curls Make Waves on Instagram
Fun fact: This past weekend, I hightailed it to the Chicago salon I’ve been frequenting for over 20 years, marched right up to the owner (my longtime stylist), and dramatically proclaimed, “I can’t take another day!” while pulling at my hair. Coveted lengths be damned, I was planning to park myself in his chair on…