Ava DuVernay has made history once more. The renowned film director’s latest feature Origin recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, marking the first time that a Black American woman has ever competed at the event in its 91-year history. And she did it with a nine-minute standing ovation.
DuVernay—who is also known for movies like Selma and A Wrinkle in Time, as well as the documentary 13th—said during a press conference that Black filmmakers are often told: “People who love films in other parts of the world don’t care about our stories and don’t care about our films.”
“And this year, something happened that hadn’t happened in eight decades before an African American woman in competition. So now that’s a door open that I trust and hope the festival will keep open,” she added.
Origin is a “powerful biographical drama,” notes The Hollywood Reporter….