A writer explores the unspoken system that has shaped America in Director Ava DuVernay’s drama, Origin.
Based on Isabel Wilkerson’s influential nonfiction best-seller, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, DuVernay puts Wilkerson in the center of her film that sets her on a path of global investigation and discovery that chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
On December 1, after the DGA membership screening in New York, DuVernay discussed the making of Origin during a Q&A moderated by Director Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger). She also spoke about the film with Director Edward Zwick (Trial by Fire) following the Los Angeles screening on December 3.
During the New York conversation, DuVernay spoke about her thrill of finally being able to work in the 16mm format.
“It’s got grit. It’s got texture to it. I fell in love with 16. I always loved it but I remember watching Todd Haynes’s Carol and I actually thought, ‘I might just go lick the screen right now because it’s so delicious.’ I just thought wow! It’s the first time I got to shoot with it because I made this film with independent funds outside the studio system. I asked on my last projects, ‘Hey can we explore in the budget shooting 16?’ and got very quickly shut down talking about the workflow and ‘How are we going to assess?’ and ‘How are you going to see what you’re doing?’ I mean just no cooperation. So, the first time I got my hands on some funds to make this independently that was one of the first decisions I made.”
DuVernay’s other directorial credits include the feature films A Wrinkle in Time, Selma, Middle of Nowhere, I Will Follow and This Is the Life; the documentary 13th; the movie for television For Justice; episodes of the mini-series One Perfect Shot, DMZ and Colin in Black & White; and episodes of Queen Sugar and Scandal. She was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for her 2020 mini-series When They See Us.
DuVernay has been a DGA member since 2013 and has served as 5th Vice President of the Guild. She currently serves as an alternate on the DGA National Board and as a member of the Western Directors Council.