The masterminds behind Ava DuVernay’s upcoming 13-episode OWN series, Queen Sugar, will feature an “all-women directorial team.”
DuVernay shared the news with Reel Black while at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday afternoon, reports the Huffington Post.
Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Film Distribution Collective Announces Partnership with Indiegogo
“We’re hiring an all women directorial team, so a lot of women that we know from the Black independent film space that I won’t announce yet but it’s an exciting time to just invite women into the show,” she said.
Queen Sugar tells the story of Nova Bordelon–a journalist and activist from Saint Josephine, New Orleans who’s life changes when she is tasked with running the family’s sugarcane farm after her father’s death.
True Blood actress Rutina Wesley has been tapped to portray Bordelon.
“It’s like a family drama and I’m real excited about it,” she added.
DuVernay says the series, which is the first television show she’s ever created, is overwhelming yet rewarding.
“I jokingly say I’m getting my ‘Shonda’ on but I don’t even know how she juggles all those shows because this show is wearing me out—in the best way. It’s a lot, but it’s fun. It’s like a 13-hour film.”
Queen Sugar will air on OWN and is based on author Natalie Baszile’s debut novel.