The remarkable story of the Agojie, an all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey, is revealed in Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical drama, The Woman King.
Inspired by true events, Prince-Bythewood’s film returns us to the 1820s as the Agojie’s leader, General Nanisca, prepared the next generation of recruits for a battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.
On September 25, after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Prince-Bythewood discussed the making of The Woman King during a Q&A moderated by Director Stan Lathan (Go Tell It on the Mountain).
During the conversation, Prince-Bythewood spoke about how she came to make the film.
“I choose what I'm going to do by have to not want to. The script came to me and I just I got that thing where you start to see the movie in your head and you start to get excited. When I read ‘the women rise above the grasses’ I said ‘I want to be the one to bring these women to life.’ The more I read, the more I got excited about what this movie could be. Historical epics, I love those types of films but I've never seen myself in one and this was my opportunity to do that. The other thing is that I felt like all my work up until this point has led me to be able to tell this story. I had to meet with Viola Davis and the producers but I knew going in it was about could Viola trust me to bring her on this journey? I usually go in with some type of swagger, but Viola scared me because, it's like Viola Davis! How am I gonna make her believe that I could direct her? I went in there and of course like there's no crying in directing. You just can't show vulnerability. But in that room, I did something I've never in my life ever done. I was talking about the connection I have with this story and the thing I knew I was bringing and I started crying. In the moment it was just humiliating, and I couldn't stop. I remember looking up and seeing Viola watching me cry and I finally got myself together. I left and I literally am driving home saying, ‘I blew it. I blew the meeting.’ Then I get the call that she loved the meeting and the fact that I cried made her believe that she could trust me as a Director.”
Prince-Bythewood’s other directorial credits include the award-winning features, Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees; the award-nominated feature, Beyond the Lights; the critically acclaimed feature, The Old Guard; the movie for television, Disappearing Acts; and episodes of the series, Women of the Movement, Cloak and Dagger, Shots Fired, Girlfriends and The Bernie Mac Show. She has been a DGA member since 1999 and has served as an alternate on the Western Directors Council and as a co-chair of the African American Steering Committee.
You can listen to Prince-Bythewood's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.