Zola
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Janicza Bravo on How Women Filmmakers Are “Used to Working With Less”
“As women, we’re used to working with less,” Maggie Gyllenhaal bluntly told The Hollywood Reporter of female directors’ current situation in Hollywood, even as the industry has become more inclusive. The actress-turned-director spoke alongside Zola director Janicza Bravo at a Women’s History Month panel hosted by Neiman Marcus at Spring Place in Beverly Hills Tuesday […]
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Spirit Awards: Taylour Paige Speaks About Impossible Circumstances While Accepting Best Lead Actress Prize
Taylour Paige spoke about the “impossible circumstances” of being human while accepting the best female lead honor for her titular role in Zola at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday. The first-time winner became emotional during her acceptance speech. After admitting she was “in shock,” Paige joked that she wrote her speech ahead […]
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How Indie Spirit Award Nominee Colman Domingo Found His ‘Zola’ Character
In A24’s social media-inspired caper Zola, the title character (Taylour Paige) is persuaded by a fellow stripper, Stefani (Riley Keough), to join her and her “friend” (Colman Domingo) on a road trip to Tampa, Florida, to earn big money dancing in one of the local clubs. It’s quickly obvious once the crew arrives in Tampa […]
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The Charm Offensive Is a Menacing Force in Cinema’s Latest Depictions of Sex Work
Since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements gained traction in 2017, the entertainment industry has gradually worked not only to tackle its sexualized internal culture and historical exclusion of women, but also to reframe how sex and sexual power are depicted throughout film and television. The post-Harvey Weinstein landscape has thus seen revolutions in how women’s […]
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‘Candyman’ Star Colman Domingo on Jordan Peele’s “Beautiful Invitation” and His Key ‘Zola’ Scene
Colman Domingo had a general meeting with Jordan Peele in early 2018, and he remembers it quite well since it was the day after Peele won an Academy Award for Get Out‘s original screenplay. Domingo was not only surprised that Peele kept the meeting, but he was also taken aback when Peele actually followed up […]
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Gotham Week Programming Highlights Include Panels With ‘Zola’ Filmmakers, ‘Summer of Soul’ Director Questlove (Exclusive)
The Gotham Film and Media Institute, formerly IFP, is going virtual again with the 2021 Gotham Week Conference, set to run from Sept. 19-24. Still, public programming for the event will feature panels with a number of notable industry figures, including Zola director Janicza Bravo and editor Joi McMillion, Summer of Soul director Ahmir “Questlove” […]
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‘Zola’ Helmer Janicza Bravo to Direct FX’s ‘Kindred’
FX’s pilot Kindred has found its director and star. Zola helmer Janicza Bravo will direct the drama based on Octavia E. Butler’s classic sci-fi novel; she’ll also be an executive producer. Newcomer Mallori Johnson will play the lead role of Dana, a young woman who finds herself pulled back and forth in time. Playwright and […]
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Riley Keough on ‘Zola’ and the Potential of a ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Making-Of Movie
Riley Keough has previously received critical acclaim for her nuanced performances of stoic characters, but her latest performance in Janicza Bravo‘s Zola is one you have to see to believe. In the film — inspired by A’Ziah “Zola” King’s 148-tweet thread — Keough plays Stefani, an exotic dancer who befriends Zola (Taylour Paige) and takes […]
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