Middle of Nowhere: Interview with Ava DuVernay and Emayatzy Corinealdi

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

I’ve become a big fan of Ava DuVernay and AFFRM as demonstrated by past Tinsel & Tine posts:

•  Ava DuVernay, is the first AfricanAmerican woman to take home the U.S. directing award at SundanceFilm Festival (2012) for her film “Middle of Nowhere”. (Opening in Philly October
  12th).
• DIY filmmaking, marketing and distribution w/ Filmmaker Ava DuVernay
• Most importantly, Ms. DuVernay founded AFFRM – African-American Film Releasing Movement, a groundbreaking
  distribution company comprised of 6 Black Film Festivals across the country, dedicated to diverse cinematic images, whose
  mission is to empower black filmmakers through a means of theatrical
  distribution beyond the studio system and connect their work with eager
  audiences.
• Support AFFRM – Kinyarwanda at select theaters this weekend
•  It in no way categorizes I Will Follow as a black film, by a new black female director. His review is based on
  the merits of the film as they stand. And it’s not a “black film”, it’s a quiet film, it’s a reflective film…

And this time, I was invited to join a small, roundtable interview as part of the press junket for Ava’s new film Middle of Nowhere (Synopsis: an elegant and emotional drama chronicling a woman’s separation from her incarcerated husband and her journey to maintain her marriage and her identity. Staring into the hollow end of her husband Derek’s (Omari Hardwick) eight-year prison sentence, Ruby Sexton (Emayatzy Corinealdi) fights to support him on the inside and survive her own identity crisis on the outside.)

Here’s the video of our roundtable discussion (hosted by PhillyCAM & Reelblack).  There was much laughter and sisterly bonding as Ava and Emayatzy answered our questions on guilty pleasure foods, sexy leading men, Ava’s distaste for screenwriting, despite her obvious talent, Emayatzy transition from small parts in shorts to leading actress in a Sundance winning film and more…

Note:  Middle of Nowhere is the first film to be used in an FCC investigation to determine fair practices in prisons: It can cost a mom more than $18 for a 15-minute phone call with her son in prison and families are forced to pay these excessive rates or give up staying connected. Our communities urgently need federal oversight of interstate prison phone call rates. READ MORE

Post Update 2.18.2017

• AFFIM Became ARRAY in 2013
• Link to Tinsel & Tine Interview with Ava DuVerany for SELMA in 2015
• Ava’s documentary 13th gets nominated for an OSCAR Jan 2017
• Cover of Essence Magazine 2/17/2017
• Ava DuVernay WINS Oscar…  TBC

Post Update: 10/15/2012

Lead Actor Omari Hardwick was present for a Q & A at the Philly Premiere of Middle of Nowhere 10/12/2012

Middle of Nowhere Audience Members at the Warm Daddy’s After Party!

Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere opened with the top per screen average this past weekend. As Indiewire reports, opening on just 6 screens, the film made $78,030—about $13,005 per theater. Taken 2, which was at the top of the box office with $22 million had less than half the per theatre gross of Middle of Nowhere. So with a $200,000 budget, the film is clearly on its way to being a success – READ MORE

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