On November 5, the DGA Asian American Committee (AAC) hosted An Evening with Director Cary Joji Fukunaga in the Guild’s Theater One in Los Angeles. The event featured a DGA membership screening of Fukunaga’s critically acclaimed feature Beasts of No Nation.
Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel, Beasts of No Nation tells the story of a young African villager who is torn from his family, drafted into a company of rebels and slowly transformed into a child soldier. Fukunaga spent years adapting the script for Beasts of No Nation and also served as the film’s D.P. and producer as well as directing. The film has the distinction of being the first exclusive feature created for broadcast on Netflix.
The screening was introduced with a welcome from AAC Co-Chair Ron Dempsey. Following the movie, Fukunaga took the stage with Director Jason Reitman (Men, Women & Children) for a discussion about the challenges of making the film in the humid jungles of Ghana, as well as insights on his career. He later mingled with the attendees during the reception held afterwards.
Fukunaga also discussed the making of the film in a conversation with Director Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange) following the DGA membership screening in New York on November 11.
In addition to Beasts of No Nation, Fukunaga’s credits include directing and executive-producing the first season of HBO’s crime drama True Detective, for which he won the Emmy® for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and received a DGA Award nomination. His feature directing credits include the equally critically acclaimed Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre. He has been a member of the DGA since 2012.
About the Committee
The DGA Asian American Committee was created as a networking group to provide a forum for interests and issues that concern Asian-American Guild members. Through outreach efforts in the entertainment industry that emphasize career development and skills enhancement, the committee provides a variety of networking opportunities as well as screenings, seminars and discussions with industry professionals. The current AAC Co-Chairs are Kevin Berlandi, Ron Dempsey and Steven J. Kung.