Paul Garnes Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Avatar actress CCH Pounder and Academy Award-nominated producer Paul Garnes will attend the inaugural Cross Continental International Co-production Forum (CCF) in Barbados.

Ethan Shanfeld After the release of her latest film “Origin,” director Ava DuVernay was vocal about her disappointment that the movie failed to garner widespread attention or awards buzz. Now, the X/Twitter account for “Origin” is taking aim at the distributor Neon, calling out the company for not inviting the filmmakers to its Oscar party. Quote-tweeting a photo from the party, the account posted one day after the Academy Awards: “Is it odd that the filmmakers of Neon’s current film in theaters weren’t invited to this Neon celebration? Nope.

Neon announced on Tuesday that it will bring Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay‘s acclaimed drama Origin back to 500 U.S. theaters on February 28, for a one-night-only special screening event, featuring an exclusive pre-recorded introduction and post-screening Q&A with DuVernay.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor With a few weeks to go until the original song for Oscars shortlist is released, Aotearoa, New Zealand-based Māori Artist Stan Walker (Tūhoe, Ngāi TeRangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaue and Ngai Tahu) has released the video for the haunting original song created for Ava DuVernay‘s searing drama “Origin,” “This summer, I was talking with my producing partner Paul Garnes about wanting something unexpected for an original song to end our film, ‘Origin.’ The next day, he showed me Stan’s ‘Ultralight Beam’ interpretation and I watched it four times, back to back. I jumped online and blessedly, we had a producer pal of mine, Chelsea Winstanley in common.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Ava DuVernay‘s latest drama “Origin” has added an original song to its Oscar prospects. New Zealand Māori artist Stan Walker performed the new song, “I Am,” at a private film screening at the Edition Hotel in West Hollywood on Wednesday. He also co-wrote the track with Michael Fatkin, Vince Harder and Te Kanapu Anasta.

Ava DuVernay touched down at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday evening with her new film Origin, which world premiered in Competition and received a more than eight-minute ovation in its debut screening.

Ava DuVernay is making history today. In Venice with Origin, which world premieres in the Sala Grande this evening, she is the first African American female filmmaker to ever have been selected in competition at the world’s oldest festival. DuVernay earlier told Deadline’s Dominic Patten, “Venice was a big goal. It feels like a real full-circle moment.”

Neon has acquired worldwide rights for Ava DuVernay’s Origin ahead of its world premiere in Competition at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday (September 6).

Ava DuVernay’s Origin, the first film by an African American woman to play in Competition at the Venice Film Festival, will have a Gala screening at Roy Thomson Hall at TIFF on Monday, September 11. DuVernay will be in attendance for the screening of the film, which she wrote, produced and directed.

Blair Underwood (American Crime Story), Victoria Pedretti (You), Isha Blaaker (The Flight Attendant) and Finn Wittrock (Ratched) are among the final major additions to Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay’s latest film Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, based on the bestseller of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson.

Angelique Jackson The cast of Ava DuVernay’s latest film, inspired by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” is now complete with the addition of Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Isha Blaaker, Leonardo Nam, Donna Mills and Emily Yancy. The seven actors join Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis, who was previously announced as the lead in the film, as well as Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal, Audra McDonald, Connie Nielsen, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Myles Frost. Announced in October 2020, DuVernay serves as the writer and director of “Caste,” which adapts Wilkerson’s acclaimed book. Described in The New York Times as “an instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far,” the book — and subsequently DuVernay’s film — examines the system of hierarchy that has shaped America.

Six-time Tony winner, Audra McDonald, and Best Actor in a Musical, Myles Frost, have joined the cast of Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay’s latest film inspired by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of our Discontents.

Ava DuVernay’s feature adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents has just added Niecy Nash-Betts, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Connie Nielsen to the movie, which is shooting in Georgia.

OWN has set the premiere date for the seventh and final season of Queen Sugar. The series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay will return on Tuesday, September 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The seventh and final season of “Queen Sugar” is set to premiere Sept. 6 on the Oprah Winfrey Network.Created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, the Season 7 premiere will air at 8 pm ET/PT.“Queen Sugar” is about the life of the Bordelon siblings, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), Nova (Rutina Wesley) and Ralph (Kofi Siriboe).

Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff are starring in another project together!

Selome Hailu Starz announced that Ava DuVernay is developing an untitled romantic drama, which she will executive produce alongside stars Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson.The series will follow two polar opposites who become intertwined in a love affair that turns their worlds – and those of everyone around them – upside down. The half-hour drama will chronicle what it takes to fall and stay in a radical, rebellious love. One person is ambitious, while the other is restless.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Naomi” has been canceled after one season at The CW, Variety has learned.The DC series debuted its one and only season back in January. It is the latest DC project to get the ax at The CW following the cancellations of “Batwoman” and “Legends of Tomorrow.” The only remaining DC shows on The CW are “The Flash,” “Superman & Lois,” and “Stargirl.” “The Flash” was renewed for a ninth season back in March, while “Stargirl” is waiting to debut its third season later this year. “Superman & Lois” was renewed for a third season in March.In the series, when a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi (Kaci Walfall) sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones).

EXCLUSIVE: Queen Sugar has a new boss to take the Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey executive produced drama to its conclusion later this year

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Queen Sugar” has been renewed for Season 7 at OWN, with that season set to be the show’s last. Writing on the new season has begun, with production set to begin in early 2022.“To everything, there is a season,” said series creator Ava DuVernay.

Array, the independent distributor and production company founded by Ava DuVernay, has added six executives to its ranks, president Tilane Jones announced Thursday.Netflix original series exec Anne-Marie McGintee will join as vice president of scripted programming, and Blumhouse’s MJ Caballero will serve as her counterpart in physical production.

EXCLUSIVE: Upon its 10th anniversary as a successful agent of change in Hollywood, Ava DuVernay’s Array is adding six executives to the company.

The ever-burgeoning slate of Ava DuVernay’s media collective has a new boss, and it’s a familiar face.

Ava DuVernay has promoted her longtime producing partner Paul Garnes to president of Array Filmworks.Array Filmworks is the content side of DuVernay’s Array, the multiplatform arts and social impact collective. Garnes had most recently served as head of physical production.

“We were literally just one episode into filming when we had to shut down because of Covid,” Queen Sugar executive producer Paul Garnes says about Season 5 of the Ava DuVernay-created OWN series executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and hailing from Warner Bros Television. “We used that opportunity to reset and repivot the show to be more relevant to the audience and I think to all of us involved.”

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAva DuVernay, Sarah Bremner, and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks joined the Variety Virtual TV Fest on Wednesday, detailing how they have used ARRAY as a means to develop and nurture new talent.“‘Queen sugar’ is a very special show to us because it was kind of the TV moment that launched this conversation on, ‘Hey, we need to build a longterm crew to tell a story about a family in Southern Louisiana,'” Garnes told Variety business editor Cynthia Littleton.