Despite being one of the streaming service’s favorite creators that’s delivered a number of projects for the platform, Ava DuVernay‘s Origin was wrestled away from the company after she decided that the best way to execute her vision unimpeded was without the shackles of a major studio or streamer.
It’s proven to be the right call, with the Academy Award nominee making history as the first Black filmmaker from the United States to have a feature compete for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, with Origin premiering to widespread acclaim that currently sees it holding an impressive 92 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not only that, but the hard-hitting adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents also received rapturous applause and a lengthy standing ovation, which ran between six and nine minutes depending on where you heard about it. Either way, it’s a huge win for DuVernay, and could yet prove to be a decision Netflix will be left ruing should it parlay its early buzz into a serious awards season run.
Even though she’s been heavily involved with 13th, When They See Us, and Colin in Black and White – never mind the fact her ARRAY Releasing company debuts its newest releases on Netflix day-and-date with their theatrical bows – DuVernay opted to go it alone and create Origin independently, regardless of it being initially announced in October of 2020 as an in-house exclusive.
Depending on how things shake out, though, Netfix’s loss could prove to be DuVernay’s gain in more ways than one.
