Ava DuVernay wants 'Origin' to create more conversation about caste
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[January 20, 2024]
By Dawn Chmielewski and Rollo Ross
(Reuters) - For Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay,
creating the biographical film “Origin” was an emotional quest that
helped her connect with Isabel Wilkerson, the author of the book on
which it was based.
“I made this film from a place of great joy and connection, Isabel was
writing her book from a place of deep loss and connection, and what they
both have in common was that it was a very emotional journey for both of
us,” DuVernay told Reuters.
Wilkerson’s 2020 book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” defines
racism in the United States as an aspect of a larger racial caste
system. Wilkerson describes caste an artificial hierarchy that divides
society into social classes.
Drawing from Wilkerson’s non-fiction book, DuVernay’s narrative feature
explores how the experiences of people of color in America connect to
caste systems in India and the Holocaust in Germany.
“Any society in the world you think about, there’s someone at the top
and someone at the bottom. If we understand that that’s the case, we can
start to say, ‘how can we level it out?’” said DuVernay, who also
directed "Selma," a film that explores Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s
voting rights campaign.
Although she doesn’t believe inequity will be solved in her generation,
she does believe that getting the message out there through her film and
other means may someday cause a shift in the universe toward justice.
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Ava DuVernay attends the 14th Governors Awards in Los Angeles,
California, U.S., January 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
“Origin” follows author and
journalist Wilkerson as she copes with a personal tragedy that
serves as a catalyst for her to begin a global investigation into
how caste has shaped society, including slavery and hierarchy.
The film stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal,
Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman and
Blair Underwood.
It arrived in theaters on Jan. 19.
DuVernay created what she describes as less of a “straight
adaptation” and more of a “companion piece” that’s an interpretation
of Wilkerson’s life and book.
“We really were just allergic to permission. We just gave it to
ourselves and allowed us to make the film we wanted to make, to be
completely free in our expression,” she said.
For DuVernay, even if “Origin” is mostly recommended through word of
mouth, it is important for the independent film distributed by Neon
to be seen globally.
“We are fortunate that we were able to make it as an offering and
whoever receives it, will receive it. That's it,” she said.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski, Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway;
Editing by Mary Milliken and Aurora Ellis)
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