Award-winning studio NEON has announced that it will screen Origin from writer/director/producer Ava DuVernay in 500 theaters in the U.S. on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 for a one night only special screening event featuring an exclusive pre-recorded introduction and post-screening Q&A with DuVernay. The film has profoundly connected with audiences since its wide theatrical release on January 19, 2024, garnering strong word of mouth.
Warmly received by critics, Origin was recently awarded Best Drama as well as Best Director for Ava DuVernay and Best Actress for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor by the African American Film Critics Association. It also received NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Motion Picture; Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture for Ava DuVernay; Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor; and Outstanding Youth Performance in a Motion Picture for Lennox Simms ahead of the ceremony on March 16, 2024.
From Academy Award nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Origin explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future. While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.
Origin is written and directed by Ava DuVernay and produced by DuVernay and Paul Garnes at Array. The film stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Emily Yancy, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Isha Blaaker, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Connie Nielsen, Blair Underwood, Nick Offerman, Stephanie March, and Myles Frost
The film has received rave reviews from Manohla Dargis at the New York Times, Richard Brody at The New Yorker and many others. Dargis writes, “Few American movies this year reach so high so boldly.” Variety wrote, “Monumental. Here is a director who has demonstrated on multiple occasions her capacity to shift and reframe the conversation.” Valerie Complex at Deadline called the film “Essential. This film is an ambitious and, dare I say, radical venture. Ava DuVernay continues to establish herself as one of the most vital voices in contemporary cinema.”
NEON recently garnered seven Academy Award®-nominations, five for Anatomy of a Fall from Justine Triet; Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days, the Japanese selection for ‘Best International Film’; and Best Animated Feature, Robot Dreams from Pablo Berger. In January, the Sundance Film Festival marked world premieres of Seeking Mavis Beacon from director Jazmin Jones and Theda Hammel’s Stress Positions, both of which NEON produced, and Handling the Undead starring Renate Reinsve.
NEON also launched its international sales outfit ahead of the Venice Film Festival in 2023, led by seasoned film executive Kristen Figeroid. Its slate currently includes Steven Soderbergh‘s Presence which made its world premiere in Sundance where NEON picked up the worldwide rights; They Follow, the long awaited sequel to the modern horror classic It Follows from visionary writer/director David Robert Mitchell and starring Maika Monroe; and NEON production Cuck oo from writer/director Tilman Singer and starring Hunter Schafer which premiered in the Berlinale Special section.
