Ava DuVernay Archives - Rolling Out

Queen of Media Oprah Winfrey just sold most of her shares in her Oprah Winfrey Network to its majority owner, Discovery Inc. According to Bloomberg, Winfrey’s company, Harpo Inc., filed to sell half of the 1.34 million shares and will receive $36 million in stock. Winfrey will remain CEO of OWN but now has a…

In an effort to encourage Americans to complete the 2020 Census and be civically engaged in the 2020 U.S. Election, Black celebrities joined forces and participated in “Zoom Where It Happens.” “Zoom Where It Happens” featured live table reads of classic sitcoms reimagined and followed up with serious conversations about the importance of completing the…

While the coronavirus pandemic was tragically beginning to strike the country, director and film producer Ava DuVernay held true to form, premiering her new series “Cherish the Day” on OWN Network. The first season of the heartfelt anthology captured the story of two star-crossed lovers, Gently and Evan, while navigating through their complex relationship in…

Ava DuVernay is set to direct an adaptation of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Isabel Wilkerson published her bestselling nonfiction book earlier this year, and DuVernay is now poised to helm an adaptation of the story for Netflix, according to Variety. The acclaimed filmmaker — who previously directed the documentary 13th and the four-part…

Ava DuVernay never imagined she’d become a successful filmmaker. The 48-year-old director is supporting a group of young, international filmmakers as part of a series called “New Realities,” and DuVernay has admitted that for a long time, she had “no concept that a black woman could be a director.” DuVernay — who is, perhaps, best…

Ava DuVernay has recalled the “traumatizing” experience of seeing her father restrained by police in their backyard. The Selma filmmaker spoke candidly about the terrifying time her dad was “wrestled to the ground” by cops, despite not having done anything wrong. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey on her two-part special, “Where Do We Go From Here?,” DuVernay…

Oprah Winfrey is leveraging the mega platform of her television network to facilitate a town hall meeting about the current racial turmoil simmering in America. The forum — “OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?” — will feature an august body of politicians, entertainers, educators and civic leaders who will weigh in on the…

The National Football League got put on blast by celebrities after it offered condolences for the police-involved deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor that have inspired a nationwide insurrection. Outspoken journalist Jemele Hill, a former sports reporter for ESPN, was particularly incensed that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has the audacity to even…

The late great rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard was much more than just a musical innovator and electrifying entertainer. Even though he was already a legend in the game, his unexpected kindness to a struggling college student has not been forgotten. Award-winning movie and television director Ava DuVernay, who once waited tables as a…

Toneka Wright is the owner and founder of the Black Filmmakers Academy, an online educational resource dedicated to helping Black creatives learn various aspects of the film industry. The Black Filmmakers Academy is run by experienced independent filmmakers eager to share their wealth of knowledge about the industry. They offer instruction in making, distributing and…

Linda Fairstein, the New York City lawyer who prosecuted five innocent men now known as the Exonerated 5 (formerly the Central Park 5), is suing Netflix and director Ava DuVernay because she believes she was portrayed in a “false and defamatory manner,” according to TMZ. The news outlet also states that Fairstein warned DuVernay prior…

There’s a storm brewing in Hollywood. Sixteen-year-old Storm Reid has the poise, focus and talent to be the next young actress to take over the ever-changing movie industry. Reid captured nationwide attention in her breakout role in 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time opposite Oprah, a science fantasy film directed by Ava DuVernay. She also co-starred…

Ava Duvernay’s newest television project, “Cherish the Day” is an ode to black love. Besides sharing a title with one of the most prolific love songs of our time, (Sade’s ‘”Cherish the Day”) the series chronicles the love story of Gently James played by Xosha Roquemore and Evan Fisher played by Alano Miller. The series…

Ava DuVernay’s Nipsey Hussle documentary is still not finalized according to the late rapper’s representatives. On Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, a Deadline report stated DuVernay would produce and direct a documentary about Hussle. The report goes on to say that rights to the story were in the middle of a fierce bidding war before Netflix…

Award-winning director Ava DuVernay blasted legendary horror author Stephen King after he made some questionable statements regarding diversity and the Academy Awards. King — who has penned a blizzard of classic horror novels that subsequently have been adapted into equally iconic motion pictures — wrote the following response to the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite2020 on Twitter: As…

Ava Duvernay took a moment to blast Megyn Kelly for her comments against Colin Kaepernick. In response to the United States’ president’s attack on Iran, Kaepernick posted the following tweet on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020: “There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.” He…

Despite electrifying the culture and winning a pair of Emmy Awards, Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” television miniseries on Netflix was, conspicuously and inexplicably snubbed by the Golden Globe voters. “When They See Us” revolved around the “Central Park Five” — now known as the “Exonerated Five” — which was falsely charged and convicted…

The Golden Globes is catching flack for snubbing “When They See Us.” On Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, representatives announced nominations for the award ceremony, which will honor the top films and TV programs of 2019, and Ava DuVernay’s four-part Netflix miniseries was nowhere among them. Although the film garnered several Emmy Awards, fans are upset…

Hollywood’s top Black directors made great strides in 2019. From Spike Lee winning an Academy Award for Blackkklansman to Ava DuVernay receiving critical acclaim for her explosive miniseries When They See Us, Black excellence was front and center. With the start of the year 2020 less than two months away, Black film directors continue pushing the culture…

Ava DuVernay and Netflix are being sued over the critically acclaimed miniseries When They See Us. On Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, attorneys representing the Chicago-based company John E. Reid and Associates Inc. filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that it has been defamed by DuVernay and Netflix by the way its trademarked interrogation method,…