While her latest film, Origin, encompasses a more somber tone, Ava DuVernay was all smiles as she celebrated the feature. Origin arrived a month ago, on December 8, but the film remains a hot topic among cinephiles. DuVernay’s illustrious filmography spans movies focusing on Black culture, community, racism, and injustice—and Origin isn’t for the weak.
Origin is based on Isabel Wilkerson’s bestseller Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents. The Pulitzer Prize winner released her much-talked-about book in 2020, which centers on her personal journey. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor stars as Wilkerson in the biographical film that begins with the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Likening racism to India’s caste system, DuVernay, through her lens and a cast of characters, weaves through cultural experiences from the Holocaust to the Slave Trade, and examines the links between Nazi Germany and American laws. Although the film may be on the heavier end of the spectrum, audiences praised DuVernay’s latest efforts.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)
Among the applause are celebrated actors and industry professionals who joined the filmmaker at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., last night. Threads hosted the event and also celebrated Black actors who are contenders this award season. Guests included Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTayna Ricardson Jackson, The Color Purple‘s Colan Domingo, Danielle Brooks, and Taraji P. Henson; Insecure‘s Sarunas Jackson; American Fiction‘s Jeffrey Wright; David Oyelowo, Laz Alonso, Gabrielle Dennis, and legendary actor Glynn Turman, among others.
Watch the trailer for Origin below and skim through a few highlights from the evening.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Samuel L. Jackson and Ava DuVernay attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Ava DuVernay, Michelle Mitchell and Colman Domingo attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Colman Domingo, Ava DuVernay and Danielle Brooks attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Ashley Nicole Black and Gabrielle Dennis attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Laz Alonso and Ava DuVernay attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Colman Domingo and Sarunas Jackson attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Nikkolas Smith, Ava DuVernay and Frank Abney attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Jeffrey Wright and Ava DuVernay attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Scott Evans, Ava DuVernay, Melvin Robert and Nina Parker attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Laz Alonso, Van Lathan, Nicholas May, Sarunus Jackson, Aml Ameen and Kemp Powers attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Dannella Lane, Ava DuVernay and Lil Rel Howery attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Taraji P. Henson speaks at Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: Sarunas Jackson attends Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Ava DuVernay and Samuel L. Jackson attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Tammy Garnes, Paul Garnes Ava Duvernay and ARRAY Team attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Jo-Ann Allen, Ava DuVernay and Gynn Allen attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 08: (L-R) Glynn Turman, Samuel L. Jackson and David Oyelowo attend Threads celebration of Ava DuVernay’s film ORIGIN and Black Awards Contenders at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Threads)
