Ava DuVernay On ‘Origin’: “Thank Goodness We Made This Film Independently” – Venice
deadline.comAva DuVernay is making history today. In Venice with Origin, which world premieres in the Sala Grande this evening, she is the first African American female filmmaker to ever have been selected in competition at the world’s oldest festival.
DuVernay earlier told Deadline’s Dominic Patten, “Venice was a big goal. It feels like a real full-circle moment.” Based on Isabel Wilkerson’s 2020 bestseller Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents, the film stars Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wikerson and tracks the Pulitzer Prize winner’s creative and personal journey over several continents through grief, revelation and the evils of historical stratification.
Although it was originally a Netflix project, DuVernay and Paul Garnes produced Origin without a studio. Speaking to Deadline earlier, DuVernay said, “I experienced success within the studios.
I experienced this challenge within it. I learned a lot and ultimately the thing that felt best is to be able to self-determine my filmmaking — to tell my story my way.” On Tuesday, Neon acquired worldwide rights.
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