Neon will screen Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” in 500 theaters on Wednesday, Feb. 28, for a one-night special screening event including an exclusive pre-recorded introduction and post-screening Q&A with DuVernay. “Origin” is based on the book “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson.
“Origin” has been awarded multiple honors by the African American Film Critics Association and is also currently nominated for several NAACP Image Awards.
Per the film’s official description, DuVernay’s drama “explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future. While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.”
DuVernay wrote the script and served as producer alongside Paul Garnes of Array. The cast includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Emily Yancy, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Isha Blaaker, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Connie Nielsen, Blair Underwood, Nick Offerman, Stephanie March and Myles Frost.
American Genre Film Archive Names Jackson Cooper Executive Director (EXCLUSIVE)
Jackson Cooper has been named executive director of American Genre Film Archive. The Austin-based nonprofit preserves, restores and shares a collection of more than 3,000 35mm feature films.
Additionally, AGFA oversees restoration and home video releases for 12 projects every year and runs a theatrical catalogue of 1,800+ genre and cult features for global distribution to theaters, festivals and museums.
Cooper said of his new position, “I’m thrilled to be joining the American Genre Film Archive as its next Executive Director. I look forward to building upon the incredible work the staff and board have done and to continue to keep genre film alive through the preservation, restoration, and presentation of these great film experiences. Whether through donating, partnerships, or volunteering, AGFA is for all and I’m honored to work alongside the incredibly talented staff, board, our partners, and the community to move the organization into this exciting new chapter.”
Cooper has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit arts world, having previously worked at Pacific Northwest Ballet, the North Carolina Museum of Art, Chamber Music Raleigh and North Carolina Theatre, among other institutions. In addition to programming for Alamo Drafthouse Raleigh and writing for Arrow Video home releases, Cooper has been a part of boards and juries for the Seattle International Film Festival, the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Seattle Queer Film Festival, and The Cinema Inc.
Some of AGFA’s current projects include booking screenings for Severin Film’s 4K restoration of the Italian horror film “Cemetery Man” and restoring the filmography of underground icons George and Mike Kuchar. AGFA is also celebrating its 15th anniversary with a screening series in partnership with USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Impact Crew Partners With Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix to Modernize Production Hiring
Impact Crew will team up with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix to improve how productions source and hire crew talent.
“We’re thrilled to be working with two of the most innovative studios in the industry to optimize the way that global productions assemble, hire, and onboard the incredible crew talent who bring stories to life,” Impact Crew co-founder and CEO Tyler Mitchell said in a statement.
The studios and their productions will gain access to Impact’s global network of over 600,000 below-the-line crew members. This includes more than 10,000 members of diversity organizations, such as ARRAY Crew, The Handy Foundation, ReelWorks, The London Screen Academy, NOVAC, MediaMKRS, MEAA, MAAC and the EICOP.
Working closely with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix productions, Impact Crew will build new custom features and reporting tools that are tailored to each studio’s hiring and talent management needs. For instance, Impact Crew’s specialized search engine can filter 600,000 crew network by role, location, association and genre to pinpoint the best candidate for the job.
Executives and department heads can also use Impact’s AvailCheck feature, which creates hiring grids for each job and tracks crew responses in real time. Additionally, they have exclusive access to the AvailCheck PRO service, an internal team dedicated to rapidly sourcing available crew in 24 hours or less, seven days a week.
‘We Grown Now’ Wins Jury Best Feature Narrative at Pan African Film Festival
The winners of the 2024 Pan African Film & Arts Festival, which showcases African and African diaspora cinema and arts, were announced during an awards ceremony at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Minhal Baig’s “We Grown Now” won the festival jury’s best feature narrative prize. The film is set in 1992 and follows best friends Malik and Eric around Chicago as they seek to escape the mundaneness of school and hardships of growing up in public housing. When tragedy strikes their community, their bond is challenged. Jurnee Smollett, S. Epatha Merkerson, Blake Cameron James, Gian Ramirez and Lil Rel Howery comprise the cast.
“We Grown Now” will be released on April 19 in New York and Los Angeles, prior to its May 10 wide release.
For the full list of PAFF winners, visit paff.org/awards.
Ava DuVernay Receives Kodak’s Auteur Award
Ava DuVernay received the Auteur Award at the Kodak Film Awards Friday night.
DuVernay was recognized for her body of work and her latest feature “Origin.” The filmmaker brought her cinematographer Matthew Lloyd up to the podium with her and mentioned how “Origin” marked the first time she had shot on film. “We shot in 37 days on three continents, it spans seven time periods and covers 400 years.”
Talking about her experience of shooting on film for the first time, DuVernay said, “I learned that throughout the history of cinema, some of my favorite films ever made, the filmmakers can’t see what they’re shooting.” DuVernay continued she and Lloyd would project dailies in the evening on a hotel room wall. “Now I can’t imagine doing it any other way.”
“Past Lives” filmmaker Celine Song, “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and producer Christine Vachon were also among the other honorees.
Van Hoytema who was bestowed with the Lumeire Award thanked producers Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan. Speaking to their advocacy for shooting on film. Kodak developed 65 mm film for Van Hoytema to deliver “Oppenheimer’s” black-and-white sequences. He said: “I could be sure if we would still be shooting on analog film today. I feel deeply that their stubbornness and commitment has been the single greatest gift to us analog film purists.”