origin – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SPOTLIGHT February, 2024: Ava DuVernay, Filmmaker, Activist and Architect of our Reflections

January 31, 2024February 3, 2024 Sherin Nicole 13th, array, ARRAY crew, ava duverrnay, inclusivity initiative, middle of nowhere, origin, Selma, spotlight, when they see us

Ava emerges as a beacon of narrative innovation and cultural introspection. She’s not just making films; she’s setting new standards. Ava has a knack for seeing things that others miss and giving a voice to stories that are too often left untold. Her films do more than challenge our thinking; they shatter the status quo and remold the fragments into works of Kintsugi—showing off our shine but never denying our sharp edges. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists celebrates Ava DuVernay for her indelible contribution to the art of storytelling and her pursuit of stories and initiatives that don’t just entertain but enlighten, empower, and embrace us.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 19, 2024: ORIGIN

January 13, 2024January 29, 2024 Jennifer Merin aunjanue ellis-taylor, Ava DuVernay, Bernthal, betsy bozdech, Blair Underwood, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, Cate Marquis, connie nielsen, Isabel Wilkerson, jennifer merin, leslie combemal, liz whittemore, loren king, Movie of the Week, nell minow, neon rated, Niecy Nash-Betts, nikki fowler, origin, pam brady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, vera farmiga

Making a dramatic feature based on a nonfiction book can be a tricky proposition, but Ava DuVernay does it adeptly with her thought-provoking, powerfully moving Origin. Inspired by journalist Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, the film combines the book’s arguments with Wilkerson’s experiences researching and writing it; the end result is a compelling look at trauma, grief, and the absolute tragedy of dehumanizing certain groups of people.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Best 2023 Awards Contenders

December 24, 2023December 25, 2023 Jennifer Merin Air, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, awards contenders, Barbie, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, origin, Pam Grady, past lives, Poor Things, saltburn, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, The Holdovers, The Taste of Things, The Zone of Interest

2023 has been a brilliant year for movies and an astonishing number of outstanding films representing all genres are now vying for awards consideration. There are so many top titles that if you were to watch movies from dawn to dusk for this quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s Day — without taking a break — you probably couldn’t manage to view all of the serious awards contenders. So, with this week’s Movie of the Week feature, we are recommending titles picked by Team MOTW members — titles that they say must be seen before the awards shows so you will be prepared to enjoy all of the awards season’s buzz and shine in social media opining and chatter around the watercooler. These are our must see films and we’ll wager that once you see them you will want to see them again. Happy holiday week viewing!!!

Reviews

ORIGIN – Review by Sherin Nicole

December 14, 2023December 18, 2023 Sherin Nicole aunjanue ellis-taylor, Ava DuVernay, Isabel Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash, origin

Ava DuVernay is a sculptor of non-fiction, shaping her films into something real and yet interpretive. Her best work is art and reality all at once. Origin is her finest work to date. A film that fills in the missing pieces of our societal woes and makes us want to shatter the mirror it holds up with equal potency.

Reviews

ORIGIN – Review by T.J. Callahan

December 6, 2023December 24, 2023 T. J. Callahan Aunjanue Ellis, Ava DuVernay, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Finn Wittrock, Isabel Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash, origin, vera farmiga

Origin is an historical fiction drama based on the non-fiction book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by journalist Isabel Wilkerson. In Caste, Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize winning features writer and New York Times bestselling author, explains that America’s founding ideology and ideals of liberty and equality for all are really an enduring hierarchy that isn’t racial, but an unspoken caste system much like that which exists in India.