Two recently returned World War II veterans and their families struggle to deal with life in rural Mississippi in Director Dee Rees’ new drama, Mudbound.
Rees’ film is an epic story of two families – the McAllans, newly transplanted from city life of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming; and the Jacksons, sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations and are struggling to build a future despite rigidly enforced barriers – who are pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, but bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta. All their lives are changed when sons from both families forge an uneasy friendship over their shared experience during World War II.
Following the DGA membership screening in New York on November 19, Rees sat down with Director Mira Nair (Queen of Katwe) to discuss the making of Mudbound. Rees also discussed the film in a conversation moderated by Director Rick Famuyiwa (Dope) after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on November 26.
In addition to Mudbound, Rees’ credits include the feature film Pariah; the documentary Eventual Salvation; episodes of the series Empire and Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams; and a segment of the mini-series When We Rise. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy and won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series for her 2015 film Bessie. A member of the Guild since 2013, Rees was recently elected as an Alternate Member to the DGA National Board.
You can listen to Rees' Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.