Despite the protests and the killing of George Floyd being the latest news to come up in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement and the systemic racism that plagues the US, the stories of Black people being targeted by police is nothing new. Spike Lee recently made that abundantly clear with his video tying together the events of Floyd’s death with a scene from his 1989 film, “Do The Right Thing.” And now, “Selma” filmmaker Ava DuVernay recently opened up about the racism she faced as a child and how she grew up knowing the things that people are just now starting to realize.

Continue reading Ava DuVernay Talks About Her Own “Traumatizing” Experiences With Police Aggression at The Playlist.

With its elegiac tone and leisurely pace, director Ava DuVernay’s first foray into television feels true to its showrunner while being entirely different than a lot of what is on TV. “Queen Sugar” shares the most DNA with DuVernay’s films “Middle of Nowhere” and “I Will Follow,” as well as SundanceTV’s “Rectify.” Here, there’s a similar emphasis on the importance of family and the promise of second chances without any need to speed through plot or dialogue.

Continue reading Ava DuVernay’s ‘Queen Sugar’ Is A Beautifully Shot, Character-Driven Drama [TV Review] at The Playlist.