MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
PUBLICITY CONTACTS
Stacey Mooradian
424‐ 288‐4392
Publicity Materials available at: www.affrm.com/press Rating: R TRT: 100 minutes
CREDITS
Written & Directed by AVA DuVERNAY
Produced by HOWARD BARISH & AVA DuVERNAY
Producer PAUL GARNES
Co‐ Producer TILANE JONES
Director of Photography BRADFORD YOUNG
Editor SPENCER AVERICK
Costume Designer STACY BEVERLY
Music by KATHRYN BOSTIC
Music Supervisor MORGAN RHODES
Casting by AISHA COLEY
CAST EMAYATZY CORINEALDI as Ruby OMARI HARDWICK as Derek DAVID OYELOWO as Brian LORRAINE TOUSSAINT as Ruth EDWINA FINDLEY as Rosie SHARON LAWRENCE as Alberta Fraine NEHEMIAH SUTTON as Nickie FELISHA ANOA’I as Pongesa TROY CURVEY III as Rashad MAYA GILBERT as Gina DONDRE WHITFIELD as Mr. Littleton ANDY SPENCER as Bus Hustler BRUCE KATZMAN as Mr. Averick ANDY DREW as Guard NISA WARD as Fraine’s Assistant
SYNOPSIS
What happens when love takes you places you never thought you would go?
As Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi) rides a bus through the inner city streets, she wills herself to push away memories that crowd her. Four years earlier, she was a vibrant medical student married to the love of her life, Derek (Omari Hardwick). Now, she makes her way to the maximum security prison on the outskirts of town. This is where her love now resides. Behind coiled razor wire and forty foot concrete walls.
As the couple stares into the hallow end of an eight-year prison sentence, Ruby must learn to live another life, one marked by shame and separation, by guilt and grief.
Soon, her singular focus is to ensure Derek's survival in his violent new environment. She drops out of school to maintain her marriage from beyond bars. She fights to support her husband on the inside and survive her own identity crisis on the outside.
But through a chance encounter and a stunning betrayal that shakes her to the core, Ruby is propelled in new and often frightening directions of self-discovery. As we chronicle her turbulent yet transformative journey, we witness the emergence of a broken woman made whole.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
AN EVERYDAY IMAGE
The journey of MIDDLE OF NOWHERE began with an image of a woman on a bus. It was common for writer/director Ava DuVernay to see working women travel by bus to and from her native Compton, California. But in the spring of 2001, a specific picture came to mind and never left.
“One day, I started thinking about a woman riding a bus at dawn,” she explains. “It was a mental image that stuck with me for a long while. I couldn’t shake it. Oddly enough, the screenwriting process for this film began with me investigating who she was and where she was going.”
The first time the audience meets “Ruby,” the film’s complex heroine, she is riding a bus at dawn to visit her husband, “Derek” behind bars. And it is this image that begins the audience’s journey with “Ruby,” as she navigates a love lost, a dream deferred and hope for a better life.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
DuVernay began writing the screenplay for MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in 2002 while heading her award-winning film publicity firm, The DuVernay Agency. After pitches to the usual Hollywood players yielded no traction, she placed her script in a drawer like so many other aspiring screenwriters. It wasn’t until years later - after DuVernay had successfully directed and self-distributed her first documentary, launched the grassroots film distribution collective known as AaFFRM (African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement), and released her narrative directorial debut I Will Follow - did financing come together for MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
One of the first to come on board was executive producer Howard Barish, who met DuVernay when she walked into his office two years earlier.
“Ava’s agency offices were in my building. One day, she realized that in addition to the building, I also owned a full-blown production company,” Barish recalls. “She came in and said, ‘I’ve written a script and I want to produce it together, okay?’” It was a request that he had heard many times before. But DuVernay’s passion was persuasive. She asked Barish to read the script for MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
“The story and the writing touched a chord,” he says. “It was so human, so real. I couldn’t and didn’t say no.” A veteran in the industry and founder of Kandoo Films, Barish knew it was going to take a certain amount of capital to produce the project at that time. DuVernay had a specific production date in mind between two major publicity campaigns she was overseeing for studio clients. The time needed to raise the financing and the time in which she wanted to shoot didn’t line up.
So, she sat down and wrote another script in six weeks with a specific goal to make it ultra low-budget. That film would become her first narrative feature, I Will Follow. “She brought me the new script and it was just as good,” Barish recalls. Together, they produced I Will Follow in 2011; with DuVernay financing from her personal savings and Barish providing in-kind equipment and expertise. Through I Will Follow’s indie box office success, Barish was able to marshal the financial resources in just three short months to make the next film, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, with private equity.
“The great thing about independent filmmaking for me is that we have no client,” Barish says. “We have no studio executives. There is no one that we’re accountable to except ourselves. This allowed us to do what we thought was best for the picture.” To Barish, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE marks a return to the foundation of filmmaking. “It was nice to get back to plain old simple storytelling,” he adds.
DuVernay was on the hunt for a producer who wouldn’t mind getting his or her hands dirty. She called up Paul Garnes (Woman Thou Art Loosed), an old friend. Garnes remembered the script. He read it nearly seven years earlier when he and DuVernay worked together on the action film, Biker Boyz. He was one of the film’s producers and she was the film’s publicist. When she asked him for producer recommendations for MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, without hesitation, he said, “I’ll do it.”
Tilane Jones rounded out the producing team. Jones heads DuVernay’s production banner, Forward Movement, and is the Managing Director of AaFFRM. “It’s amazing to be a part of the process from the screenwriting phase through the distribution. Being a part of that day-to-day building of a film is something I truly enjoy.” Casting Director Aisha Coley, who also worked on I Will Follow, was brought on immediately. “I always love to build a cast with Aisha because she brings me the faces, the faces of the faceless characters I’ve written. She drills down and goes beyond the usual suspects,” says DuVernay.
DuVernay’s long-time editor Spencer Averick was a given. She and Averick have collaborated on all her filmed projects, from narrative to documentary to concerts to branded entertainment, since 2007. It was during their work on I Will Follow that DuVernay asked Averick to serve as the editor on MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. About the script, Averick states, “I loved it. It’s a simple story. Very subtle. Very emotional. You don’t see movies like this often. I loved every minute I worked on it.”
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE’s director of photography Bradford Young, who won the award for Excellence in Cinematography at Sundance 2011, had collaborated with DuVernay previously on the music documentary, My Mic Sounds Nice. In an interview with the New York Times on Young, DuVernay described working with him: “The word that comes to mind when thinking of Bradford’s visual style is ‘lush.’ It is full. Every frame is full-bodied and potent and robust.”
Young described his sense of working with DuVernay: “Ava is the first person I’ve met since Haile (Gerima) who gives me hope that you can control the way you shoot and distribute a film. That you don’t have to wait for the blessing of Hollywood or Indiewood to tell your story, your way.”
FINDING RUBY – CASTING EMAYATZY
Perhaps the most important decision in the pre-production process was the burning question: Who would play Ruby?
“Ruby” was a role rarely seen in Hollywood: a complicated, emotionally nuanced black woman lead character that appears in nearly every frame of a fully-financed film. As a result, several actresses of note vied for the part. DuVernay met with a number of high- profile artists, but for her it was about finding the right energy over the starpower.
“The journey is just as important as the destination, and chemistry between the filmmakers and the cast is crucial,” she explains. “So, it became less about finding a ‘name’ and more about finding the right person regardless of their past work. Someone with chops, who we also wanted to hang out with day after day.”
Emayatzy Corinealdi (The Young & The Restless, Gun Hill) originally read for the part of “Rosie,” Ruby’s sister. Watching her audition via tape, DuVernay asked that Corinealdi read for the lead. “As soon as she started,” DuVernay says, “I knew that was her.” It helped that DuVernay found Corinealdi to be “sweet as pie.”
“I prepared for ‘Ruby’ by thinking about the women who have crossed my path who have had those experiences [of loving someone who is incarcerated],” says Corinealdi. “I worked to tap into how they felt, and I thought about my own personal experiences with love.”
She delved into the nuances of Ruby’s character. “Ruby is a woman who is driven,” Corinealdi says. “She’s a woman willing to sacrifice for those she loves whether it’s her mother, nephew, husband, or sister. She loves from her whole heart. She has always set these standards for herself that are very high. She never wants to fail at anything. It’s one of the reasons why she fights so hard for her marriage.”
That marriage is the core of MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. “It started out beautiful and innocent,” reasons Corinealdi. “Most young women dream of getting married. To be in your 20’s and feel like you’ve met the man of your dreams. That’s such a magical thing.”
But Ruby’s fantasy is shattered with her husband’s arrest and incarceration. In the first scenes of the film, the couple grapples with how to handle his 8-year sentence. “The film doesn’t concern itself with why he’s locked up; it doesn’t matter. This is her story. About a woman’s inner life. The film doesn’t become distracted by anything else,” explains Corinealdi. “This story is about a woman in a relationship that has taken an unexpected turn. What do you do? Who are we in those moments? Those are the questions we’re asking.”
Furthermore, Corinealdi feels that MIDDLE OF NOWHERE illuminates the often-ignored loved one of incarcerated individuals. “It shows how the impact of incarceration affects everyone and everything it touches, not just the inmate. [Ruby’s] under so much pressure. She can’t miss his phone calls. His whole case is on her shoulders. What people really go through under these circumstances is so often swept under the rug.”
REUNITED – CASTING OMARI
Derek and Ruby aren’t seen on-screen together often. But the moments they do share are a powerful testament to the chemistry between Corinealdi and Omari Hardwick (Sparkle, For Colored Girls, Kick-Ass). It helped that Corinealdi and Hardwick were already friends. “We were excited when we found out that we were working together,” says Hardwick. “She’s very gifted and I knew that her day would come.”
In addition to knowing Corinealdi before the production, Hardwick had previously worked with DuVernay on I Will Follow as well. "Ava’s equally as confident as the characters she's writing and the actors she's hiring. She has the type of sensitivity as an artist that I don’t see with many directors. She gives you room, but knows where we’re all going." His biggest challenge was to make his character "a very vulnerable little boy," and says you need a good director "to get you to those dark miserable spots."
“Omari’s work in this film is so layered,” remarks DuVernay. “What he does with ‘Derek’ has so many parts. Strong, yet vulnerable. Principled, yet wrong. In love, and in doubt. He’s the only actor I’ve worked with twice and it’s nice. There is a short-hand that’s developed. We were just lucky he wanted to come out and play with us again.”
“My character just wants to be loved by and give love to his wife,” explains Hardwick. “On one hand, he doesn’t want Ruby to leave him because of his incarceration. But, on the other hand, he wants Ruby to leave him because of his incarceration. He doesn’t feel worthy of her love. It’s a heart-wrenching balance these characters are walking.”
SERENDIPITY – CASTING DAVID If casting Hardwick was a familiar choice, the casting of David Oyelowo (Paperboy, Jack Reacher, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help, Red Tails) as “Brian,” Ruby’s love interest, was a matter of wonderfully unexpected chance. On a plane bound for Toronto in May 2011, a gentleman sitting next to Oyelowo happened to be watching the UK television show, Spooks/Mi:5, on his iPad. He turned and noticed that Oyelowo happened to be the star of the show. The two struck up a conversation. It turns out that the man sitting next to Oyelowo was one of MIDDLE OF NOWHERE’S investors, Rick Cohen. Cohen revealed that he was investing in DuVernay’s next film and wanted Oyelowo’s professional thoughts about the project. Oyelowo asked to see the script because he was familiar with DuVernay’s previous film and distribution company, AaFFRM. Upon reading the screenplay, Oyelowo immediately contacted DuVernay, who was already wildly interested in the actor based on his previous work. “Once I read the script, I wanted a piece of the action,” reveals Oyelowo. “I had seen Ava on CNN and she gave a very impressive interview about black film and AaFFRM and what she was trying to do as a filmmaker. After that, I saw I Will Follow. I was so impressed with what she and the whole team managed to do with so little resources.” “Upon arriving back in Los Angeles, I immediately phoned Ava and asked if she would have me,” says Oyelowo. “I was pleasantly surprised to hear that I was on her list of people to consider for the role anyway.” “I remember the morning I picked up my cell phone and heard the proper British accent and the kindest voice on the other end,” recalls DuVernay. “He said, ‘My name is David Oyelowo and I’m an actor.’ I told him I knew exactly who he was and was a fan. We hit it off from there.” “It still boggles my mind that our investor Rick was on that specific flight on that specific date and time, assigned to that specific seat right next to David watching that specific television show,” remarks DuVernay. “And that David engaged him and accepted a script and then actually made that call to me. That’s against-all-odds, fairytale stuff. Clearly, it was meant to be. And we’re so fortunate because David is an actor with formidable gifts and a man with great reservoirs of creativity and integrity. He was an absolute joy to work with and to get to know.” Oyelowo adds: “Part of the reason I had moved to LA was to be part of the kind of cinema that inspires me. When I arrived in Hollywood, so much of the material I was getting that had prominent black characters was so one or two dimensional. I didn't understand them. I couldn't relate to them as human beings. And one of the first scripts that came along that I really felt I could belong to was MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.” Oyelowo’s character “Brian” represents hope, opportunity, choice and change. The divorced bus driver becomes intrigued by “Ruby” to the point that he asks her on a date. She turns him down quickly. A chance encounter at a beach prompts Brian to try again. Ruby, overwhelmed by her day-to-day responsibilities, doesn’t consider spending time with another man. But when Ruby realizes that she and Derek may not be on the same page — that there are significant cracks in their relationship – she must choose a new path. “I would describe ‘Brian’ as a very sweet man in a sense,” says Oyelowo. “He is kind of a mirror to ‘Ruby’ in that he also suffered a breakage in his relationship. He’s not a player. He’s looking for love and he is really drawn to her because of her heart and her inner beauty.” At one point, Ruby ventures to a lounge where Brian hangs out in hopes of seeing him there. Brian is in a back room playing poker. He looks up to find Ruby standing in the doorway. The look on his face says it all. Their exchange is filled with hope and fear, excitement and promise. Oyelowo remembers shooting that moment. “What I loved about that scene is that there is sexual tension, but there is also an emotional sweetness and honesty to it. He's happy that she is there, but he's aware that she is emotionally fragile and so he very tenderly approaches her.” From there, Ruby and Brian embark on a relationship that remains under the shadow of her damaged marriage. “He’s the right man for the right woman at the wrong time,” offers Oyelowo. “He very much represents the “what if,” the maybe. It's the possibility of something else that throws Ruby into an emotional tailspin.” About the on-screen connection between herself and Oyelowo, Corinealdi explains, “We would discover things about our characters that came out of his openness to me and my openness to him. Our work together was very collaborative and organic, which set a great tone for our characters and their relationship. I trusted myself with him and let myself go.” THE FAMILY
Also a part of Ruby’s journey is her strained relationship with her mother “Ruth,” played by veteran actress Lorraine Toussaint (Any Day Now, Saving Grace).
“It was really tough for me to imagine who would play ‘Ruth,’ as she’s a composite of several women in my life and it was a challenge for me to picture a face.” says DuVernay. “When our casting director Aisha Coley suggested Lorraine, a lightbulb went off and soon it had to be Lorraine. I couldn’t imagine anyone else but her.”
Toussaint was impressed with DuVernay. “Ava called me and we had a lovely chat,” she says. “She sent me the script and within ten pages, I knew it was one of the best written scripts I had ever seen. You don’t get scripts where the dialogue is so true to life. It’s the minimalism. It was clearly written by someone who understood the dynamics of human relations and that in life most of what we communicate is not said. It’s the dialogue beneath the dialogue. It resonated with me in such a cheerful way that I said I wanted to work with whoever wrote something as intuitive and subtle as this script.”
Toussaint instantly connected with her character “Ruth.” “She’s a black mother. She is also everyone’s mother,” she admits. “I like my work in this film because that character is recognizable. Ruth is our mothers and our aunts and our caregivers and the women who love us so much that that love is often misguided.”
The character of “Ruth” comes off very hard on her daughters and their choices. She is vocal about her displeasure with Ruby’s decision to stick by her incarcerated husband and put her dreams of medical school on hold indefinitely.
“Ruth comes to the party with her own fears, disappointments and regrets,” Toussaint confides. “Like all mothers, we want our children to be better than us. We don’t want them to make the same mistakes. She wants desperately to get [her daughters] back on the road that will bring them more success and well-being than she has known as well as less heartache than she has known. In that process to guide them, she does it in hurtful ways as mothers often do, especially with daughters. There’s this continual friction and angst between them that’s partly because of realized and unrealized expectations. She’s terrifically human, but hurtful nonetheless.”
During one of the more tension-filled scenes in the film, Ruby has to ask her mother for money to cover the remainder of Derek’s legal fees. “There’s a point when Lorraine looks at me with pure disappointment, regret, and unhappiness, and it brought up in me times when I disappointed my parents and friends,” says Corinealdi. “There’s a realness and truthfulness in that moment where no extra acting was required.” Toussaint adds: “But seeing it from Ruby’s point of view, for most people who have really loved in our lives, it’s hard not to see yourself in it. It is really easy to find yourself in these people and you don’t have to be black to do it. It’s a love story. It’s a story about love and loss and, at the end of the day, I personally think that’s all life is about. Love and loss. In the loss, making certain choices that will always keep one’s heart soft to love again.” In addition to “Ruby,” “Ruth” has another daughter, “Rosie.” This character is portrayed by Edwina Findley (Treme, Red Tails), who originally read for the role of Ruby, but was called back for the role of Rosie. “The audition process was really interesting for me,” says Findley. “These two women, while sisters, lead very different lives. The process I went through preparing for Ruby was very different from Rosie. I loved that I had gone in for Ruby first. I felt like it gave me even more sensitivity in playing the role of her sister.” A single mother and waitress, Rosie didn’t pursue an advanced degree like her sister, Ruby. Instead, she had a son at an age that her mother thought was too young. The sisters are close, but also are often overwhelmed with their own lives.
”It was really exciting to step into the world of Rosie, because women like Rosie can sometimes be overlooked or under-characterized,” offers Findley. “Rosie is a firecracker. She’s energetic, lively, fun, and funny. She’s set in her ways and definitely has an attitude. I don’t look at her as a ‘big dreams’ person. Her dreams are so much more intimate. She’s not necessarily trying to change the world, but she’s trying to change her world. Her scope is her family, her son, her own life, her desire for a mate, and her sister. She takes one day at a time and really tries to survive, and hopefully thrive in her world.” The relationship between the three women – Ruby, Ruth and Rosie - is intricate and complicated. While they love each other dearly, each has her own wants and desires. In their honest portrayal of a family that grapples with how to love, they foster a dynamic that is undeniably genuine. The actors have described their chemistry as “pure magic.” “In the search for the actors to play this family, something in Ava instinctively felt that I’d be the right matriarch for these girls,” observes Toussaint. “And she was right, it was instantaneous. That kind of chemical combining is magic. The elements came together on the first day.”
She adds: “I see young actors like Emayatzy and Edwina, and I do feel maternal. I am clear that this is the next generation. They are now caring the baton and I take a certain pride in them.” THE CHALLENGE Shooting began in June 2011 and lasted nineteen days in California, specifically in South Central Los Angeles, Monterey Park and the San Fernando Valley. “We didn’t have a lot of money,” explains Barish. “We had to figure out how to get the production value we needed, secure the locations that we couldn’t afford and convince the talent to commit to a SAG ultra low budget agreement.” Many of Barish’s long-standing industry contacts stepped up to the plate returning favors and offering facilities and services. The goodwill toward DuVernay and Garnes in Hollywood, particularly among African-Americans in the industry, also went a long way. “Everyone involved rolled up their sleeves to get the film done. It was very fast-paced, remarks Garnes. “We had a lot to do with very little team and equipment to pull it off. Most of the crew wore a multitude of hats. There wasn’t a knight in shining armor or studio to save us or give us more money if we needed it. We were on our own.” Limited resources didn’t get in the way of the storytelling. It did challenge the actors to give their best the first time around. “You had to step your game up, because you probably wouldn’t get another chance or take to do it again depending on how Ava saw it or what the schedule demanded,” Corinealdi says. “Everyday you knew that the people involved in this project were there because we wanted to be there,” says Findley. “We wanted to make great art and tell a great story. I loved the camaraderie that developed on set. It almost felt like summer camp.”
THE LEARNING CURVE
With each project, DuVernay aims to sharpen her craft. “Film is a medium where you have to practice. There is always more to learn. It’s ever evolving,” she says. “I’m on a personal mission to make at least one film – narrative or documentary - each year. So that I can always learn, always grow.”
According to the cast, it’s working. “Ava’s a dream,” states Corinealdi. “She’s set the standard for me in terms of the kind of directors I want to work with. She asked questions instead of just dictating what she wanted. It makes the actor feel that you can do anything because she has your back. I’m not going to fail with her around.”
Toussaint felt comfortable working with the emerging director. “I totally trusted Ava,” she confides. “She’s a young director who I felt confident with. I knew I was in good hands. She knows how to speak to actors and she likes actors. She’s collaborative. She’s not afraid to hand you the reigns and get out of the way, or completely step in and guide. I love the way that she often just keeps the camera rolling. Sometimes, scenes need a certain momentum. She knows that and let us have room – even on a tight schedule – which was wonderful.” Since her narrative debut with I Will Follow, Hardwick has witnessed DuVernay’s growth as a director firsthand. To him, she understands how to put the right people in the right places, from cast to crew.
“There is almost a European sensibility to what she does,” says Oyelowo. “I think her voice is one that is going to be around for a very long time. It doesn't feel like it's rooted entirely in black American cinema, and I love that about her. I think she is someone whose work will hopefully have crossover and international appeal because the themes are very universal.”
TRANSLATING THE CREATIVE VISION
A desire to elevate the film’s production value despite the modest budget was crucial. DuVernay and cinematographer Bradford Young immersed themselves in establishing a visual language for the film that captured the intertwining of memory and reality, of romantic love and love as choice. Young shot on the Sony F35, with a crew consisting of veteran gaffer Christian Epps, key grip Armando Ballesteros and his long-time First AC Hans Charles.
In a world where movies seem to move faster and faster, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE begged to be slow. “A lot of the film is spent in the quieter moments of this woman’s journey,” explains Garnes. “Ava and Bradford had very particular ideas about how those moments should look and feel, and I believe they achieved what they set out to do.”
Spencer Averick, the film’s editor, was brought in a few weeks before shooting. He and DuVernay talked about transitions. While she and Young handled most of the visualization and pre-production planning, Averick was analyzing each day’s footage, noting anything that was missing on the 19-day shoot, and serving as DuVernay’s eyes and ears from the edit bay.
“The script and the characters dictate the pace of the editing,” Averick says while also noting that DuVernay gives him a lot of creative freedom as they both favor long takes and unobtrusive cuts. “It felt good to stay on a shot for a while and let the actor go through an emotion. You can feel it in the audience.” Editing the film took 14 weeks.
The post-production team comprised of Sundance Composer Lab alumni Kathryn Bostic and sound designer Kunal Rujan, both of whom returned to work with DuVernay following their collaboration with her on I Will Follow. Popular Los Angeles deejay on Los Angeles local NPR’s KPFK-FM, Morgan Rhodes, curated the soundtrack, corralling such eclectic indie soul artists as Me’shell Ndegeocello, Goapele, Fink, Ra-Re Valverde and more. SUNDANCE
Howard Barish called it early. “We’re going to Sundance,” he told DuVernay in pre- production. She patted him on the shoulder and replied, “That’s the longest long shot of long shots, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”
When she got the call that MIDDLE OF NOWHERE had been accepted into the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the coveted category of U.S. Dramatic Competition, it was a joyous moment for the writer/director.
The film debuted on the second day of the festival to discerning industry professionals and film buffs.
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE struck a chord with the audience. During a Q&A in Park City, a woman stood up and very emotionally thanked the crew and cast for telling Ruby’s story, which was very similar to her own; her husband had been incarcerated.
For most of the cast, Sundance marked the first time that they saw the film.
“It’s an out-of-body experience seeing a film that you’re in for the first time,” confesses Oyelowo. “Because inevitably you're just waiting for your scenes and seeing if you got away with it without looking like an idiot. But I saw it again the very next day and was struck by how tonally confident it was.”
He was equally impressed with his cast members. “I really think Emayatzy is just a revelation. I think she is so gifted, so beautiful. It's tough to carry a movie and be in nearly every scene, so I was really impressed by her and moved by some of those beautiful scenes with her and Omari. And I was just completely floored by Lorraine Toussaint. Edwina, Emayatzy, and Lorraine felt like a true, honest family to me. I just came away with the feeling of pride to be a part of it.”
Toussaint was stirred by the film as well. “I really loathe watching myself and I avoid it at any cost,” she explains. But she was proud of the film and patted herself on the back for making the right decision to play Ruth. “There’s such beauty to the film, a beauty that’s not about pretty. It’s about truth. And truth ultimately holds beauty.” Sundance provided an opportunity for crew and film to gather again, this time to celebrate. “We rented cast and crew houses across the street from each other,” DuVernay remembers fondly. “We held breakfasts and dinners every single day; we went to films, and we threw like five parties for ourselves! I’d been to Sundance eight times previously as a publicist, but nothing held a candle to being there as a filmmaker with all the family who made this film together. An absolutely extraordinary experience.”
Immediately after the film’s world debut, DuVernay saw a friendly face “with a big wonderful smile.” It was Jonathan King of Participant Media. “He was one of the very first people to congratulate me and the team on the film that day and in such a genuine way,” recalls DuVernay. “Then, he turned and introduced me to Jim Berk (Participant Media CEO) who was just glowing with kindness and interest. I still remember their expressions and an instant connection I felt to them both that day. And it was definitely a very special and surreal moment for me as someone who has made films outside of the formal film industry for a number of years, to find myself embraced by this company and feel comfortable in that.”
While at the festival, DuVernay and Barish struck a deal with Participant Media to partner on the film’s theatrical distribution in concert with her distribution company, AaFFRM. “It’s been a wonderful marriage between AaFFRM and Participant, so far. They’re great people, with great ideas and a great love of cinema and social change.”
The final success at Sundance occurred when DuVernay, Garnes and Averick attended the festival’s awards ceremony on the final night. She recalls that she went with the idea of applauding other filmmakers whom she connected with during her time in Park City and who were favoured to win. She never expected that her name would be called. But it was - as the Winner of the Best Director Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
She didn’t even get out of her chair immediately as a result of the shock. Averick told her, “You have to stand up.” Garnes added, “Go up there.” She managed to, in her words, “say something” on stage. In fact, she thanked her grandmother for showing her the beauty in the neighborhoods where she grew up - Compton and Lynwood - and urged filmmakers of color to support one another in getting their films seen more widely.
Back stage after her acceptance speech, DuVernay learned that she was the first African-American woman to ever win the dramatic Directing Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
TAKING ACTION - GIVING VOICE TO THOSE LEFT BEHIND
As part of their partnership with AaFFRM, Participant Media is executing a robust social action component for MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
“Participant is radical in their approach to film,” states DuVernay. “They let their social conscious guide their decisions, which is a rare and wonderful approach to the business.’
Participant Media and its social action engine, Take Part, have developed a series of tools to spread the word about the film to those who it speaks to directly—families of the incarcerated. The campaign will include a study guide, interactive website, and series of community screenings that will engage women who are in waiting - wives, mothers, sisters, children. When a man is incarcerated, the impact is social, economical, political, and emotional.
Participant is also working with DuVernay to use the film as part of a campaign aligned with the Center for Media Justice to abolish predatory phone rates, an unjust industry that allows private companies to charge exorbitant per-minute phone rates when dialing into the prison system. A 15-minute phone call from North Carolina to Singapore costs an average of $2.90 on most major carriers. The same 15-minute phone call would cost nearly $18.00 within the state of North Carolina if made to or from a prison.
THE NOW OF BLACK FILM
“Black American cinema has these ebbs and flows,” suggests Garnes. “Right now, a resurgence is happening. There is a new crop of black filmmakers who are purposely making films without the traditional commercial voice. We don’t feel a film has to be wrapped in a comedy or action for people to understand what the message is. Ava is part of a new generation of writer/directors of color who think out of the box, and declare that there are stories that we aren’t telling and that we must tell them, our way.”
Garnes believes that Sundance helped to dispel some of the myths surrounding black films. “It’s really exciting that with a relatively unknown director and cast, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE could connect with an indie audience like the one at Sundance,” he says. “It wasn’t just about being beautifully shot or being beautifully written. The audience understood those characters and what they were feeling and that transcends racial biases that you may expect to see.”
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE has also provided an opportunity for black actresses to play roles that are fully realized. “There’s no wonder why so many black women were clamoring for the role of Ruby,” says Corinealdi. “There should be so many more roles like this, but you rarely see a black woman leading the story. Ava wrote this character so complex, full, and complete. I got to be all things—tough, sexy, smart, which doesn’t happen often.” To Corinealdi, Ruby represents the everyday woman. “Everyone knows this woman in some sort of fashion. She is recognized beyond her race. She is recognized for who she is at her core – someone dealing with lost love, something we’ve all been through,” Corinealdi adds.
Toussaint adds: “As an actress who happens to be black among other things, I don’t often get scripts that are just about life. In MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, you watch the characters live, make choices, cope and triumph. You watch them go through the myriad of emotions that we go through on a daily basis. It informs you that these are ordinary people in ordinary situations where they reveal extraordinary humanity. As a black actor, I’m rarely given the opportunity to have a film unfold for me. I’m often in service to the primary characters. I’m the strong one, I’m the wise one. There’s little room to show my humanity. This film does that.”
Oyelowo adds: “The fact of the matter is we all have experienced loss and so much of what designs us as human beings is how we bounce back from it. I like to think that MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is not just a black story or a story about incarceration, but it's a universal look as to how we handle loss.”
Findley was impacted by the film’s message about another universal emotion. “The strongest impression that I got was how everyone is in need of love,” she says. “As flawed as many of the characters were, from the mom to the daughters, to the suitors, everybody is pursuing closeness, companionship and a sense of belonging. I think that that’s something we can all relate to. I think in everything that we do, subconsciously and consciously, is in pursuit of love and validation. This is a story with characters that I may never share experiences with, but that I share that deep core need with.”
“The picture can be conceived as a black film, because the talent is predominantly black, but even though the actors are of color, the story transcends race,” says Barish. “That’s what I like about the work that I do with Ava. Yes, we’re fostering black filmmaking, while telling stories that can be anybody’s story.”
THE IMPACT OF INCARCERATION
While people of color make up about 30% of the United States’ population, they account for 60% of those imprisoned. The prison population grew by 700% from 1970 to 2005, a rate that is outpacing crime and population rates. The incarceration rates disproportionately impact men of color: 1 in every 15 African- American men and 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men – a statistic that is not aligned with crime rates by race.
Source: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/154587/1_in_3_black_men_go_to_prison_the_10_ most_disturbing_facts_about_racial_inequality_in_the__u.s._criminal_justice_sys tem
Once convicted, black offenders receive longer sentences compared to white offenders. The U.S. Sentencing Commission published that in the federal system black offenders receive sentences that are 10% longer than white offenders for the same crimes. The Sentencing Project reports that African-Americans are 21% more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20% more likely to be sentenced to prison.
Source: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/154587/1_in_3_black_men_go_to_prison_the_10_ most_disturbing_facts_about_racial_inequality_in_the__u.s._criminal_justice_sys tem
Wives of incarcerated men experience a great deal of strain, including elevated physical and mental health issues, attributed to the pressure to fulfill the multiple roles of the absent man.
Source: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centersInstitutes/pri/events/120805Families/Riding%20t he%20Bus%20Johnna%20Christian.pdf
Raising children alone and dealing with financial problems are two of the most prominent problems for “women-in-waiting.” In addition to the hardships related to incarceration, planning for visits to the prison and trying to maintain a relationship with the incarcerated individual become an integral part of life and coping mechanisms are often developed (Fishman, 1990; Girshick, 1996). Prison visits may bring feelings of excitement, anticipation, joy, and yet sadness (Carlson & Cervera, 1992; Fishman, 1990; Girshick, 1996). The literature suggests that the prison experience becomes an integral part of life for the wives and girlfriends of prisoners and that incarceration affects the family at many levels.
Source: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centersInstitutes/pri/events/120805Families/Riding%20t he%20Bus%20Johnna%20Christian.pdf
THE IMPACT OF INCARCERATION (continued)
Research discovered that the stigma related to incarceration was so great that many family members isolated themselves from the people in their lives who could help form a support system.
Source: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centersInstitutes/pri/events/120805Families/Riding%20t he%20Bus%20Johnna%20Christian.pdf
Women whose loved ones and close acquaintances are caught in the revolving door of ‘corrections’ experience restricted rights, diminished resources, social marginalization, and other consequences of penal confinement, even though they are legally innocent and reside outside of the prison’s boundaries.
Source: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/centersInstitutes/pri/events/120805Families/Riding%20t he%20Bus%20Johnna%20Christian.pdf
An estimated 809,800 prisoners of the 1,518,535 held in the nation’s prisons at mid-year 2007 were parents of minor children, or children under age 18. Parents held in the nation’s prisons—52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmates— reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children, accounting for 2.3% of the U.S. resident population under age 18.
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pptmc.pdf
Of the estimated 74 million children in the U.S. resident population who were under age 18 on July 2007, 2.3% had a parent in prison (table 2). Black children (6.7%) were seven and a half times more likely than white children (0.9%) to have a parent in prison. Hispanic children (2.4%) were more than two and a half times more likely than white children to have a parent in prison.
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pptmc.pdf
About half of parents in state prison provided the primary financial support for their minor children, prior to their incarceration.
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/pptmc.pdf
Parental incarceration creates additional challenges for children and families often resulting in: o Financial instability and material hardship, most severe for those who support contact between the incarcerated parent and his or her child Instability in family relationships and structure, and residential mobility School behavior and performance problems Shame, social and institutional stigma
Source: http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Topics/Child%20Welfare%20Permanence/Per manence/ChildrenofIncarceratedParentsFactSheet/childrenofincarceratedparents _factsheet.pdf
ABOUT THE CAST
EMAYATZY CORINEALDI (“Ruby”) Emayatzy Corinealdi was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky and as an Army Brat, moved often, living in Germany, Ohio, and Kansas before settling down in New Jersey.
In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, her short and feature film credits include “The Nanny Express” opposite Vanessa Marcil, "Akira" opposite James Kyson Lee, "Wednesday Again," "Category 5" and "Cordially Invited."
On the television side, her credits include a series lead role in the pilot “Katrina,” as well as “The Young & The Restless,” “Cold Case” and “Romantically Challenged” with Alyssa Milano. Most recently, she played a lead role in the BET film "Gun Hill" opposite Larenz Tate, which will air in 2013.
DAVID OYELOWO ("Brian") David Oyelowo (pronounced “oh-yellow-oh”) graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, having received the “Scholarship for Excellence” from Nicholas Hytner, in 1998.
Oyelowo has a busy 2012 with several highly-anticipated feature films this year. First up was the George Lucas produced Red Tails, which tells the story of the heroic Tuskegee Airmen. In addition, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln with Daniel Day-Lewis, as well as Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise and Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy opposite Nicole Kidman. He just wrapped The Butler, starring with Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey for Lee Daniels. Oyelowo was seen on the big screen in last summer’s blockbuster Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, as well as the critically lauded The Help. He also starred in The Last King Of Scotland, opposite Forrest Whittaker and James MacAvoy, Who Do You Love playing the iconic Muddy Waters, A Sound Of Thunder for Warner Bros, Derailed for Miramax and the acclaimed BBC2 film Shoot The Messenger. Beyond theater, Oyelowo starred in the BAFTA award-winning series “Spooks/Mi:5.” Additionally, he was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on “Small Island.” He also starred in BBC1’s “Born Equal” opposite Colin Firth, ABC’s “A Raisin In The Sun,” the Kenneth Branagh directed “As You Like It, ” the mini-series “Five Days” and the acclaimed adaptation “The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency” directed by the late Anthony Minghella. In addition, Oyelowo became the first black actor to play an English king for the Royal Shakespeare Company in the title role of Henry VI. The role won him The Ian Charleson Award and an Evening Standard award nomination.
OMARI HARDWICK ("Derek") Omari Hardwick is a native of Decatur, Georgia. In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Hardwick was just seen in Sony’s Sparkle opposite Jordan Sparks and Whitney Houston. His film credits also include Lionsgate’s For Colored Girls from Tyler Perry, Kick-Ass alongside Nicolas Cage, The A- Team with Bradley Cooper; The Guardian opposite Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher; Beauty Shop alongside Queen Latifah; and Gridiron Gang opposite Dwayne Johnson. Hardwick is best known for his starring roles in television, including TNT’s Dark Blue opposite Dylan McDermott and his lead role as ‘John “Sack” Hallon’ in the TNT 2006 series Saved. In addition to acting, Hardwick is a founding member of Plan B Inc. Theater Group, and a co-founder of Los Angeles Actor’s Lounge. He continues to work on his poetry, and has written over 4,000 poems.
LORRAINE TOUSSAINT ("Ruth") Toussaint is best known for starring alongside Annie Potts in the television series Any Day Now. She graduated from Manhattan's School of Performing Arts in 1978, before going on to graduate from Juilliard School. Toussaint was a featured recurring guest-star in the first few seasons of the legal drama Law & Order as defense lawyer Shambala Green. She was also a regular guest on the drama Threat Matrix, as Carina Wright/Agent Cassandra Hodges. In 1993, Toussaint appeared in Point Of No Return, starring Bridget Fonda and for several years she starred as Captain Kate Perry in the TNT series Saving Grace
EDWINA FINDLEY ("Rosie") Edwina Findley is a native of Washington, DC. She earned a degree in theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Most recently, Findley starred as “Davina Lambreaux” on HBO’s Treme, and simultaneously recurs as “Jill” in ABC’s Brothers and Sisters. She also filmed George Lucas’ Tuskegee Airmen epic, Red Tails.
Findley appeared in a recurring role on HBO’s The Wire, while performing nightly as Lady Mortimer in Henry IV. Edwina’s extensive work in the theatre has earned her an Outstanding Artist and Scholar Award from NYU, and both Barrymore Award and NAACP Theatre Award Nominations.
SHARON LAWRENCE ("Fraine") Best known for her multiple Emmy nominated and SAG Award winning portrayal of Sylvia Costas Sipowitz on NYPD Blue, Sharon Lawrence has portrayed a stay-at-home prostitute in Desperate Housewives, a murderous realtor on Monk, a sociopathic serial killer on Law And Order: SVU and opposite Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Recently, Lawrence received her fourth Emmy nomination for her work on Grey’s Anatomy. Other guest appearances include One Tree Hill, Community, The Mentalist, Ghost Whisperer, Dirt and Drop Dead Diva. As a seasoned stage actress, Lawrence was recently nominated for an Ovation Award and won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for her acclaimed performance as Vivian Leigh in the Off Broadway hit Orson’s Shadow. Her latest Broadway appearance was as Velma Kelly in Chicago. Film work includes Little Black Book with Holly Hunter and Gossip with Kate Hudson. Lawrence recently chaired the Women In Film Foundation and also supports Global Green and the Alzheimer’s Association and Events of the Heart for Women’s Heart Health. She lives in Los Angeles and Idyllwild California, is married to physician Dr. Thomas Apostle.
DONDRE WHITFIELD (“Littleton”) A three-time Emmy nominee, veteran TV actor Whitfield’s credits include series leads in Between Brothers, Secret Agent Man, Living in Captivity and The Crew. His prime-time resume includes NYPD Blue, The X-Files, Nash Bridges, Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show, Girlfriends and The Cosby Show. His daytime credits include All My Children, for which he was a three-time Emmy and NAACP Image Award nominee.
In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, his feature film credits include Mr. 3000, Two Can Play That Game and Happy Birthday directed by Oscar winner Helen Mirren.
A Brooklyn native, Whitfield and his wife Salli Richardson-Whitfield reside in Los Angeles with their daughter and son.
TROY CURVEY III ("Rashad") Troy Curvey III is the first born of fraternal twin brothers and the second oldest of five siblings of Gloria Curvey and late actor Troy Curvey II (Hill Street Blues). In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Curvey appeared in the feature film Decisions from director Jensen LeFlore.
MAYA GILBERT (“Gina”) Maya Gilbert hails from her hometown of Kent, Ohio. Most recently, Gilbert appeared in a recurring role in the acclaimed series Southland. Other television credits include General Hospital, Sex Chronicles and Days of Our Lives.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
AVA DUVERNAY (Director, Writer, Producer) Ava DuVernay made her feature directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed 2008 hip hop documentary, "This is The Life." Winner of Audience Awards in Toronto, Los Angeles and Seattle, the LA WEEKLY raved, "This is The Life vaults into the upper echelons of must-see hip-hop documentaries."
In 2010, she wrote, produced and directed the narrative feature, I Will Follow, starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Released theatrically in 2011, the family drama was hailed by critic Roger Ebert as "... one of the best films I've seen about the loss of a loved one."
DuVernay directed and produced three network music documentaries in 2010. My Mic Sounds Nice is a definitive history of female hip hop artists. Essence Music Festival 2010 is a two-hour concert film chronicling the nation's largest annual African-American entertainment gathering. Faith Through the Storm is a documentary about black women Katrina survivors. Each film aired on BET and TV One respectively.
Previously, DuVernay worked as a film marketer and publicist for 15 years, forming DVA Media + Marketing in 1999. Her award-winning firm provided strategy and execution for more than 120 film and television campaigns for acclaimed directors such as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann and Bill Condon.
A UCLA graduate, DuVernay is the founder of AaFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement and a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She is based in Los Angeles.
HOWARD BARISH (Producer) Originally from Toronto, Canada, Howard Barish formed Kandoo Films, Inc. in 1992. A live action/editorial production company focusing on network and syndication on-air promotion, image campaigns, branding, theatrical trailers, radio spots television and motion picture advertising, Kandoo is one of the premiere companies in the field. He was Executive Producer for E! Entertainment's reality series, The Entertainer, starring Wayne Newton. In addition, he produced programming for Rainbow Media’s High-Definition channel where he oversaw global production for five original HD sports programs including: BIG Air, Face Time, Boing, Roostertail, and Play 16:9.
Feature film executive producing credits include: Fizzy Business, Glitter Girls, The Stupidest Angel and I Will Follow, which has won numerous best film festival awards. Barish has shot over 10 million feet of film, not to mention thousands of hours of videotape. He has produced major campaigns for the most prominent television networks, including: ABC, ABC FAMILY, CBS, NBC, DISNEY, E!, FOX, KINGWORLD, LIFETIME, NBC, PARAMOUNT, STYLE, and THE CW. PAUL GARNES (Producer) Paul Garnes has served as producer, line producer and/or production manager on films and television shows for studios such as Disney, ABC, Dreamworks, HBO, Screen Gems, NBC, BET and Magnolia Films. Garnes holds a film degree from Chicago's Columbia College and spent 12 years in Los Angeles, starting as a production coordinator and eventually earning his first executive position in 2004 as Head of Production for Simmons-Lathan Media Group. Later, under the guidance of Marcus and Jaime Rucker King along with Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Garnes was asked to oversee operations and production of their newly formed film and television company, as Vice President of Operations and Production of Foxx/King Productions. By 2006, Garnes was recruited by Tyler Perry and Reuben Cannon to join the Tyler Perry Company. Making the move from Los Angeles to Atlanta, he served as Vice President and Executive in Charge of Production of the studio until 2009, overseeing the build of the multi-million dollar studio and backlot. In addition to daily operations duties, Garnes supervised over 250 episodes of broadcast television while at the studio. Most recently Paul was instrumental in ABC Studios choosing Atlanta earlier this year for their one hour pilot "Partners." Currently he is producer for BET's "The Game," season 5, shooting in Atlanta. BRADFORD YOUNG (Cinematographer) Bradford Young graduated from Howard University, where he studied under the tutelage of filmmaker Haile Gerima. In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Young’s cinematography credits include Mississippi Damned, Entre Nos, Restless City and Pariah, for which he earned the 2011 Sundance Film Festival’s Excellence in Cinematography Award for U.S. Dramatic Competition. He was cited in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2009. SPENCER AVERICK (Editor) Based in Los Angeles, Spencer Averick is a film editor working within both the narrative and documentary worlds. In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, Averick's narrative features include the critically- acclaimed feature I Will Follow and the hit comedy docu-performance film, Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain. His documentary work includes the award-winning This is The Life, My Mic Sounds Nice, Since: The Bombing of Pan Am 103. Averick's commercial clients include Warner Bros, NBC, Relativity Media, BET, TV One, Forward Movement, AaFFRM and Codeblack Entertainment. TILANE JONES (Co-Producer) Tilane Jones is Manager of Production for Forward Movement Films, serving as a producer on all of the company’s visual product.
In addition to MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, her film credits include: This is The Life and I Will Follow. Her television credits include: Black Girls Rock, My Mic Sounds Nice and Live from Essence Music Festival 2010.
Jones also is the Managing Director of AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, a black film distribution collaborative. CREDITS
Written & Directed by AVA DuVERNAY
Produced by HOWARD BARISH & AVA DuVERNAY
Producer PAUL GARNES
Co‐Producer TILANE JONES
Director of Photography BRADFORD YOUNG
Editor SPENCER AVERICK
Costume Designer STACY BEVERLY
Music by KATHRYN BOSTIC
Music Supervisor MORGAN RHODES
Casting by AISHA COLEY
CAST
EMAYATZY CORINEALDI as Ruby
OMARI HARDWICK as Derek
DAVID OYELOWO as Brian
LORRAINE TOUSSAINT as Ruth
EDWINA FINDLEY as Rosie
SHARON LAWRENCE as Alberta Fraine
NEHEMIAH SUTTON as Nickie
FELISHA ANOA’I as Pongesa
TROY CURVEY III as Rashad
MAYA GILBERT as Gina
DONDRE WHITFIELD as Mr. Littleton ANDY SPENCER as Bus Hustler
BRUCE KATZMAN as Mr. Averick
ANDY DREW as Guard
NISA WARD as Fraine’s Assistant
Production Manager TILANE JONES
First Assistant Director J. BLACK
Second Assistant Director ROXY BUGG
Script Supervisor JUDY LANG
Art Direction JENNIFER SPENCE
BILL LAKOFF
CLAUDIA ROQUE
Leadman STEVEN POLLOCK
On‐Set Dresser ERIC AARON LIZER
Property Master MEL HUFFMAN
Set Decorator ILKA URBACH
Swing Gang SPENSER TRENT
Art PA’s VALERIE RAMOS
MARLENE RODRIGUEZ
NICOLE ADELMAN
First Camera Assistant HANS “BILLY” CHARLES
ROB MONROY
YOSHIHIRO KINOSHITA
Second Camera Assistant DAVID YEOMANS
Production Mixer JAMES CASTRO
MR WOODY STUBBLEFIELD
JOE HETTINGER
DAN MONAHAN
MATTHEW BURGETTE Boom Operator DARREN BELL
SPEED RATLIFF
ALLISTER MANN
Key Costumers DESI AGUILAR
CHESNEY HENDERSON
Wardrobe Interns TANJA CALDWELL
TAYLOR COTTON
Key Make‐Up VONDA MORRIS
Additional Make‐Up LAURA MONTELEONE
Key Hair Stylist DANA KELLY
Gaffer CHRISTIAN EPPS
Best Boy Electric DARRYL WALTHALL
Electrician INHO KIM
Electrician NICKOLAS REDFUD
JUSTIN SURIANO
RACHEL WATROUS
Electric Intern AXEL MORGAN
Key Grip ARMANDO BALLESTEROS
Best Boy Grip MICHAEL TELFER
Grip NATHAN CARBALLO
ADRIENNE SUBIA
SHAUN SANGKARAT
MASON SEMBLE
IAN FAINE
KEVIN SKAGGS
Location Manager CARLYN COUCH
Location Scouts TONY JACOBS
EDDIE SANTILLAN
Extras Casting Director MELLICENT DYANE Extras Casting Assistant NISA WARD
Extra Casting Intern RAY HOGAN
Production Assistant TAYLOR CRAIG
Production Assistant NIJLA MUMIN
Production Assistant KEEGAN QUIGLEY
Production Assistant KARLA SONNIER
Production Intern KRISTINA THOMAS
Production Consultant AL SMITH
Production Accountant DEBORAH SADLOUSKOS
Generator Driver BYRON ARMANDO MORGAN PARDO
Honey Wagon Driver MATTHEW O'SULLIVAN
Studio Teacher CHARMAINE BOOS
MAXINE ABARBARA
Fire Safety Advisor JAMES BREWER
DENNIS D. KING
STEVE KOLLMEYER
Craft Services RONDA ROSS
KARLA SONNIER
Catering LORI’S KITCHEN
Production Vehicles QUIXOTE STUDIOS
Camera and Lenses by PANAVISION
Dolly provided by CHAPMAN LEONARD
Generator provided by SMS GENERATORS
Assistant Editor KARINA BECKER
Post Production Services AVELINO POST
Supervising Sound Editor KUNAL RAJAN, MPSE
Dialog Editor JUSTIN WALKER
Sound Effects Editor RICKLEY DUMM Rerecording Mixer TOM MARKS C.A.S.
Final Mix BLACK ROCK AUDIO
Audio Post Prod. Services BLACK BOX ENTERTAINMENT
Score Co‐production, mixing
and guitar NILS JIPTNER
DI Facility NICE DISSOLVE
DI Supervisor PIERCE VAROUS
Colorist CHRIS KENNY
Post Production Consultant BERRY HELFAND
Payroll Services: MEDIA SERVICES
Production Legal GORDON BOBB
DEL, SHAW, MOONVES, TANAKA, FINKELSTEIN & LEZCANO
Production Insurance MOMENTOUS INSURANCE
MUSIC
STORMY WEATHER Performed by: Little Dragon
Composed by: Little Dragon Appears Courtesy of Peacefrog Records
BITTER Performed by: Meshell N'Degeocello Composed by: Meshell N'Degeocello Appears Courtesy of Revolutionary Jazz Giant (BMI) and Warner‐Tamerlane Pub (BMI)
CAUGHT UP Performed by: J Mitchell MelodiousFly Composed by: J Mitchell MelodiousFly Appears Courtesy of Jasmine Mitchell obo MelodiousFly
STEPS Performed by: JimiJames Composed by: Moria Denson d/b/a/ JimiJames Appears Courtesy of Moria Denson d/b/a/ JimiJames
ON TIME Performed by: Ra‐Re Valverde Written by: Ra‐Re Valverde © Naznira Music Inc. Courtesy of Ra‐Re Valverde © Naznira Music Inc. IN EVERY WAY Performed by: Aybee featuring Omega Composed by: Armon Bazile o/b/o Deepblak Music BMI Appears Courtesy of Armon Bazile o/b/o Deepblak Music BMI
MOODY FEELS GOOD Performed by: Spektrum Composed by: Gabriel Olegavich / Lola Olafisoye / Isaac Tucker / Teia Williams Appears Courtesy of StopStart Recordings and PRS/BUG Music
IF I EVER Performed by: Natalie Gardiner Composed by: Björn Ehlers o/b/o Ramjac Appears Courtesy of Björn Ehlers o/b/o Ramjac
GET IN TOUCH Performed by: Reginald Bruner aka Trek Life and Amir Mohamed aka Oddisee Composed by: Reginald Bruner aka Trek Life (Elyephe's Music ASCAP) and Amir Mohamed aka Oddisee (El Khaleafa ASCAP) Appears Courtesy: Shadow Oak Music
PLAY Performed by: Goapele Composed by: Goapele/Rondor, Dan Larence, Theo Rodrigues, Carmen Michelle, Mike Aaberg
PERFECT DARKNESS Performed by Fink Written by Finiam Greenall (PRS) Guy Whittaker (PRS) Tim Thorton (PRS) Matt Kelly Published by Just Isn’t Music LTF / Copyright Control Courtesy of Ninja Tune