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Ava DuVernay on “Disappointing” Awards Recognition for ‘Origin’: “Time Will Reward the Film for Its Merits”

Writer-director-producer DuVernay and actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor both spoke out about the lack of awards recognition for 'Origin' ahead of Tuesday's Oscars nominations.

Starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood and more, the Neon film is produced, directed and written by DuVernay, based on Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. “It’s been disappointing it hasn’t had the reach in the Hollywood community in terms of the industry that considers awards, and that’s a mechanism of our distributors’ limited budget and strategy in the way that it’s been rolled out,” she told The Associated Press. While speaking to the AP, DuVernay praised other members of Hollywood for showing up for the film, “raising their hand to talk about it, to host screenings.” Among them were Ben Affleck, Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie, Dave Chappelle and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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