She’s done it again!
Ava DuVernay recently announced that she’ll be writing, directing, and producing her first feature film entitled “Caste” for Netflix, Variety reports.
DuVernay is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who has been collaborating with Netflix for the last few years. Her film “13th,” a documentary addressing the history of racial injustice and mass incarceration, premiered on the streaming site in 2016. It has received rave reviews, earning a BAFTA, Emmy, and Peabody award, and made DuVernay the first Black female director nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
She continued her streak in 2019, releasing “When They See Us” on Netflix, a limited series focusing on the story of the “Exonerated Five,” that garnered DuVernay 16 Emmy nominations. Earlier this year, she partnered with former NFL player and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick to begin production on a series about his life entitled, “Colin in Black & White.” Now, DuVernay is set to write, direct, and produce her first feature film for the streaming giant.
“Caste” is a feature film based on Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s novel entitled Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents. The novel was published in August 2020 and quickly became a fan favorite, making the New York Times best-seller list and being featured in Oprah’s Book Club. The film will take a look at the “unspoken system that has shaped America and [chronicle] how our lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions dating back generations.”
The award-winning filmmaker will produce “Caste” in partnership with ARRAY Filmworks’ Sarah Brenner and Paul Garnes. Netflix executive Tendo Nagenda (A Wrinkle in Time) will also be joining DuVernay.
No word yet on when production begins, but we are excited! Congratulations Ava!
Photo Courtesy of Netflix