I believe that Ava DuVernay’s documentary, The 13th, is eligible for nomination in the Best Documentary category at this year’s Oscars. The 13th was already nominated for a BAFTA, plus a slew of other awards (mostly critics’ awards), and I hope she gets Oscar-nominated for the film. Since I became aware of Ava through her excellent work directing Selma, I’ve followed her winding career. What I appreciate is that she works consistently on a variety of projects, from directing TV episodes to doing a documentary for ESPN’s Nine for IX on Venus Williams and pay equity in tennis, to this doc, The 13th. Her next project is with Disney: A Wrinkle in Time (so, $$$). In The 13th, Ava traces the roots of the 13th Amendment and how the prison-industrial complex is basically the modern-day slavery. The doc has been used to push criminal justice reform and start a lot of important conversations. Here’s an excellent promotional piece for the film:
"In the good ol' days…" #13TH pic.twitter.com/2IzF87ODP6
— 13TH (@13THFilm) October 12, 2016
Yeah. This conversation is vital. So props to Ava, once again. Ava sat down with Vanity Fair to talk about politics and more this week and I’m always blown away by how even-tempered she is. If I had to deal with half the sh-t she has to deal with, I would be screaming at people right and left and calling Trump a “baby-fisted motherf—ker” in the middle of an interview. Here are some highlights from the VF piece:
The 13th could have been a lot longer: “I wanted to apply a rigor and a discipline to the filmmaking in this, because it’s such a sprawling topic that it could have easily been four or five installments. Easily, easily, easily, if not more. I just wanted to make it like a handbook of all the things that we all should know. I just feel like we should all be on the same page about some key things that happened . . . slavery, Jim Crow, you know, criminalization, what happened with Nixon in relation to black people, what happened with Reagan . . . all leading us to this Black Lives Matter moment, if you will.”
The repetition of the word “criminal” throughout The 13th: “Before it was stylistic, it was fundamental and tantamount to the story that we were telling. The ways in which we used language, vocabulary, these labels to identify one another in ways that allow us to de-humanize one another. When you don’t call people by their name and you put labels on them that allow you to dictate who they are, it’s harmful. And this is historic. It doesn’t just have to do with black people and what has been done to African-Americans . . . we tried to do that in the film, to really show how the idea of “criminal” has been attached to the black body, particularly black men, in a way that’s been detrimental to a whole swath of society and has led pretty directly to 2.3 million people behind bars. The majority of which are black men, with a growing population of black women in that count.”
How the stocks for private prison companies shot up after Trump’s victory: “It’s a different era of ineptitude and audacity and misogyny and ignorance that we haven’t experienced, I don’t think. But it’s not as if we haven’t been in times before where we have presidents who’ve gone in and done damage to the very freedoms that forward-thinking people have fought for. It’s not as if we’ve not stood on the edge of a time like this before. This is super-sized, like times 10. But I also believe there will be some new thoughts, some new unity, some new art, some new hope and joy that comes out of it from people who are like-minded, gathering together to resist the current administration. . . . It’s happening, so the question is: Now what? My answer is not, “Well, give him a chance, see how it goes.” My answer is not, “Let’s just support and wait ’til another four years goes by.” My answer is to resist.
She also says that she’ll be resisting and protesting on the day of Trump’s inaugural. This is so true too: “It’s a different era of ineptitude and audacity and misogyny and ignorance that we haven’t experienced, I don’t think.” That’s very true. And while some/many of us are justifiably scared by all of the terrible harbingers of chaos and destruction to come during the Trump administration, there simply is no roadmap. There is no historical perspective. President Baby Fists is going to turn America into a banana republic controlled by a manic, stupid and petty despot. And yes, it’s going to be so much worse for communities of color.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Stunning, strong, articulate, graceful, powerful, spot on
This^ 10,000,000%
Couldn’t agree more.
I thought The 13th was fabulous and the stand-out thing about it was the clarity of the narrative/view she was putting forward. So I’m glad to hear that was the aim because she was really successful. I hope she gets the Oscar for it, not just the nomination.
Also glad to see it got a BAFTA nod although, politically speaking, I get nervous about American films about race winning our Britisher awards because I always feel it allows us to ignore our own issues by assuming it’s not as bad as “over there”.
She’s not good at campaigning. Or she falls into that group of people who think they shouldn’t campaign because their work speaks for them. Sadly, there are hundreds of equally good films and if you don’t grab voters’ attention, you get overlooked.
I’m still shocked that she was open about not knowing any members of her guild whilst complaining that she was being overlooked for SELMA. Right there……o_0
I never know whether I’m filled with admiration for the non-campaigners or whether I think it’s precious. I don’t know enough about industry shenanigans to make a judgement, I suppose.
Have you seen The 13th? It really is a spectacular achievement. I’m glad she didn’t go with 10 x 1 hour episodes or somesuch because it could have lost impact that way.
I thought at first The Hard Stop had got a BAFTA nod for best doc too, but it was for the writer. That’s what I mean about glossing over our own issues with things like racialised criminal justice because we can point at US output and it lets us off facing our own responsibilities. You know?
I sympathise with the creatives, BUT i get irritated by their preciousness because no matter the industry, you need to talk up your qualities and your work.
I’ve been on both sides of the campaigning and evaluating and i fall on the side of campaigning out of sympathy for the evaluators. It’s not as simple as the bribing that takes place.
For the documentary category specifically, i could list 10 other equally good or better documentaries from around the world that are equally compelling. She needs to make herself heard over the other 10. That’s the reality of the awards process. Too many films from which to pick 5 per category.
Otherwise stop trying to get awards and simply put out your film and build your career without concern for the awards.
so true. it’s just as terrifying over here, in particular for immigrants (i have dual nationality, but i was a child immigrant with a very foreign sounding name), but it’s just as scary for my poc, EE and muslims friends tbh. i’m lucky i live in london which is so multicultural and accepting, but it’s upsetting nonetheless. since brexit britain can NEVER AGAIN act as if they’re better than americans.
Exactly. I’d just like us to put the spotlight on British creative output exploring this stuff.
The Brexit vote was not about race, that is propaganda. A minority of ignorant racists leapt on it as an excuse to be racists but for the vast majority of the population it has nothing to do with race/immigration. Even the Commission for Racial Equality has said the same and has asked for people to stop using Brexit to be divisive.
When in history have the British ever wanted to be dictated to by continental Europeans – never, the vote was simply people opting out of something they were never given a say about opting in to. You needn’t feel unsafe, the ill-educated northerners that Londoners fear were invented by the Remain spin-doctors.
I can’t watch it as I’ll get too upset. I have always opposed prison labor on these grounds: it exploits black and poor white men. Rehabilitation through education, not labor.
Also oppose the death penalty. In a perfect world, maybe. But the criminal justice system has always been racist. In all honesty, I support reparations for slavery and systemic criminal injustice. Not really a popular view, but I support reparations and the cession of land to native tribes and I would happily pay on both accounts.
I agree with all of this.
Not having our own conversation seems to be Britain’s MO at this point. Remember black lives matther UK? If you do, you probably remember white upper-middle class kids getting arrested for locking up an airport and got released without much of a fuss which waa a very ironic and surreal mix of white and rich privilege.That movement, unsurprisingly, never really resonated like its American counterpart. English progressives have got to stop their one-sided love affair with American ones and actually set their own agenda and their own causes and protests. I am quite lucky, I have never encountered racism in my life even though i love in a major leave area, then again my father is a leaver too. That is actually another thing, my parents went from anybody but the tories to staunch tories in 15 years. Are Labour aware of that shift in many minority communities especially in the south? I mean, they were party of Scots until they just weren’t…
I still can’t believe that BLM uk shenanigans. And not a peep from anyone about it beyond vaguely incredulous articles that didn’t gain traction.
Yes. We have our own problems (about race and about other things) and our own stories to tell about them.
I know a lot of brown Tories in particular.
I agree. Example:When Angelina loses weight because of her marital problems she is portrayed as anorexic, bulimic or on drugs but when Brad appears to have lost weight it is called a revenge body. Give me a break. Women continue to be judged by a different standard . Angelina left to protect her kids but all the sympathy is for handsome, charismatic Brad. Look at what other women have gone through. Ben Affleck cheats and he is forgiven. If the shoe were on the other foot Jennifer would have to wear a Scarlett letter. We have a president elect who has no respect for women, except his daughter??, and millions of women voted for him. What is wrong with us?
They must have been motivated by different issues, I guess.
Resist is right. I’m not here for people trying to “bridge the gap” or whatever crap they want to use to placate us. What’s the bridge between us and those that want to strip us of rights anyways?!
Love her she’s always so spot on.
Yes- resist is the answer to that question.
This all day!!
Yes! Resist and educate! A LOT of my (white, Midwestern) friends and family are well-meaning idiots. They are completely ignorant of racially-based injustice in this country, both historically and in the present day. As I see it, the only hope is to show them what they can’t see or don’t want to see. I can’t force them to care, but I can at least show them what’s actually going on.
I don’t live in America, but I am so terrified and upset about what the orange one is planning and the freedom he is giving bigots, racists, homophobes etc. We need people to continue to speak out and show amazing documentaries and speeches like those to show those that are terrified as to what is coming that they are not alone. It breaks my heart that this is happening. As a white educated male, I am so ashamed that others like me think this is acceptable
+1000
That montage of trump’s inflammatory comments inciting violence towards black audience members so upset me I had to pause the promo for a brief weep.
Resist and fight you must and the world is standing by you Americans.
Trump did the one good thing last week and that is attacking and questioning the intelligence community.
The other 4 countries from the Five Eyes (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia & New Zealand) were silent last few months because it was a domestic issue.
But not anymore – a highly decorated MI6 officer who spent years protecting his country has now been implicated and is on the run. His decades long service has been bought into question and Five Eyes especially UK are pretty upset and angry about it.
Just wait and see – Trump will go down very soon because of his treason and he will take down with him most of the people who supported/supports him.
You can mess with minorities & women but you sure hell don’t mess with the intelligence community.
Since December Trump has attacked Lockheed Martin and Boeing and Big Pharma all in the same way and brought their stock down significantly. These people own congress. If you think Trump is going to continue attacking them and driving stock down, you have no idea who owns this country. Enjoy his very short stay.
I kind of find it sad that money and insulting the intelligence community’s pride is what it took to get the ball rolling on getting him out of there, but I’ll take it. I just hope next time that attacking half of America is more of a compelling reason to not let someone like him in the first place.
You both have excellent points. Right after the election, I started wondering how Trump was going to operate in Washington with his bull-in-a-china-shop method of communication and ‘negotiation’. Like it or not, our governmental processes are designed to foster cooperation and compromise. Without it, you make a lot of enemies very quickly and things slow to a crawl. Of course, he will have his slimy henchmen all over the place, so they might be able to grease palms more effectively than he does.
Oh, we have Kellie Leitch up here, who is literally using the same playbook. Your ‘drain the swamp” became “Drain the canal.”
I began to realize how serious the situation is for the former M-16 guy when I read that he asked his neighbor to watch out for his cat… He really did have to leave fast. Best of luck to him and the cat.
She’s right and it’s a worldwide issue. The Middle East did not used to be as bad for women as it is today. Europe is getting worse as well.
However, it’s also an era of unprecedented freedom and education for women. That’s WHY it’s also an era of unprecedented misogyny. We’re fighting the entirety of human history here. The progress we have made is staggering. Of course we’re getting violent pushback: we’re trying to change /everything./
And we need to remember that it is about everything. It is not just getting women positions of power as politicians or CEOs or Hollywood superstars within a system that exists to enrich the few at the expense of the many. That’s only wallpapering over the rot.
Emily – I’ve thought of your point often. Are we seeing such a backlash because we as women are fed the f up and we’re being really loud about it?
He’s already acting like a dictator 🙁 waaah!! I hate that man!! What is wrong with people that they actually voted for him?
Resistance is imperative. I hope in the coming months, we can all coalesce around an active Resistance Movement that unifies and grows stronger and stronger. How anyone can suggest to “wait and see what happens” when the evidence is right before our eyes of this demon and his minions plans, is beyond me. I read an interesting article the other day about scientists who’d conducted experiments in an attempt to understand why people’s political beliefs harden even though they may be confronted with truthful evidence that counters their belief. The conclusion of the study was that people’s brains are affected. That for some people, political beliefs are an integral part of their identity, just like religion, and therefore they feel attacked and must defend themselves at all cost. So they dig in and double down, even when the truth is counter to what they believe.
Which is why it’s useless saying wait and see. Or trying to ‘bridge the gap’. People staunchly entrenched in their beliefs and ideals very seldom have a change of mind/heart. It’s exactly as you say, they will never admit they’re wrong because it means rethinking, reevaluating and letting go of beliefs they consider integral to their sense of self.
This is what we’re seeing. And it’s only going to get worse. Thanks to manipulators like The Orange Czar and his ilk who know exactly how to exploit this human condition.
The 13th is amazing, scary and sad all at once. It was very eye-opening for me and she deserves all the praise for it. I highly recommend it if you haven’t watched it yet.
It was one of the best documentaries I’ve seen. They should screen it in every school in the US (big time wishful thinking).
It’s a film that is a response to people who say that black people need to get over slavery.
What was most depressing to learn is that it doesn’t matter which party is in power, the prison industrial complex and the criminal justice system continues to viciously marginalize black communities. Of course there is also a big profit motive. Still, It was inspiring to see that there is resistance to this, so many awesome activists featured in the film.
For anyone interested, Michelle Alexander, who is featured in the doc, has written an excellent book on the topic.
http://newjimcrow.com/
once black people got “freedom”….it’s been a systemic war to get us back there….
Ex:
*Union (tho great now) being started because they wanted to ensure jobs for whites in the time when black were now wage workers instead of slaves
*All these private / prep school to halt integration of black students into white schools
* 3 strikes rule used to get black men into jail quicker. Heavy sentences for drug regardless of non-violent circumstances
* The War on Drugs (too much to explain)
etc. etc. etc.
such a travesty and tragedy
Mind blowing trailer. Amazing.
as a black person…when she said RESIST… I literally got a chill…. because that’s what it’s going to be.
Do not give in, He is not my president, and I’m not unifying for ISH
Speaking of, DJT is back on Hillary’s case (re e-mails she’s “guilty as hell”-again?). I think he’s trying to intimidate her so she doesn’t come to the Inauguration.
Sorry, Donnie-Hillary is ten times stronger than you are. She’ll be there.
The 13th is a really good documentary. It’s a high-level view of the system of racism put in place and maintained since slavery. It went into depth without getting bogged down in small details or going down rabbit holes; it stayed focused but left a lot of open-ended questions that encouraged me to learn more about the parts I was intrigued by. It’s also beautifully-made. I hope she makes more like these because we need them now more than ever.
I love her. That can be all.
She’s absolutely right. You don’t give hatred and racism “a chance”. You resist it. No cooperation with evil. I’ve never felt this way about a US President in my long lifetime, and we’ve had some bad ones who did plenty of damage. Trump is on a whole different level. Those clips showing how casually he encouraged violence and hatred at rallies — they were just a small sample of how he has been behaving. This is not right and it is not normal. Resistance can’t wait, he has to face it every single day if we are to have a chance to restrain him. This is not about partisan politics.