ARRAY
ARRAY
Independent distribution company
ARRAY is an independent distribution company launched by film maker and former publicist Ava DuVernay in 2011 under the name African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM). In 2015, the company rebranded itself as ARRAY.[1]
| Formerly | African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Ava DuVernay |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
Key people | Ava DuVernay |
| Products | Film distribution |
| Services | Film distribution Film marketing |
| Website | arraynow |
In 2020 the Peabody Awards honored the company with the Institutional Honor for "amplifying film and TV projects by people of color and women filmmakers".[2]
DuVernay launched the company in 2010 after her debut feature film I Will Follow failed to acquire distribution. ARRAY has stated that its mission is to “produce, distribute and amplify work from Black artists, filmmakers of color and women of all kinds.”
In May 2015, DuVernay held a 12-hour Rebel-a-thon on Twitter to raise funds for the company. For 12 hours black directors like Ryan Coogler, John Singleton, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tina Mabry, Julie Dash and more answered questions from the general public in order to raise awareness for ARRAY and encourage people to donate funds.[3][4] Actors Thandiwe Newton, Kerry Washington and Jessica Chastain were among those who made substantial donations to the company.[5]
In 2016 ARRAY signed a deal partnering with Netflix to distribute their films online.[6] Since 2016 all ARRAY films have appeared exclusively on Netflix and stay on the platform for three years.[7]
In 2019, the company created the Amanda cinema, named after founder Ava DuVernay's aunt, that was exclusively dedicated to showing films by people of color.[8]
| Year | Title | Director | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | I Will Follow | Ava DuVernay | ||
| Kinyarwanda | Alrick Brown | Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival | ||
| 2012 | Restless City | Andrew Dosunmu | ||
| Middle of Nowhere | Ava DuVernay | Winner of Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival | ||
| 2013 | Better Mus' Come | Storm Saulter | ||
| Big Words | Neil Drumming | |||
| 2014 | Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe à la Hache | Nailah Jefferson | ||
| 2015 | Mississippi Damned | Tina Mabry | Premiered in 2009 but not distributed until 2015 | |
| Out of My Hand | Takeshi Fukunaga | |||
| Ayanda | Sara Blecher | Special Jury Prize in the World Fiction Competition at the LA Film Festival | ||
| 2016 | Echo Park | Amanda Marsalis | ||
| Honeytrap | Rebecca Johnson | |||
| 2017 | Namour | Heidi Saman | ||
| The House on Coco Road | Damani Baker | |||
| Teach Us All | Sonia Lowman | |||
| 2018 | Jewel's Catch One | C. Fitz | ||
| Vaya | Akin Omotoso | Winner of Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Africa Movie Academy Awards | ||
| Roll With Me | Lisa France | |||
| 2019 | The Burial of Kojo | Blitz Bazawule | ||
| Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen | Heperi Mita | |||
| Burning Cane | Phillip Youmans | Winner of Best U.S. Narrative Film, Best Cinematography and Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival | ||
| The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open | Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn | Winner of Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the Canadian Screen Awards | ||
| 2020 | Jezebel | Numa Perrier | Winner of Best Feature and Best Director at the American Black Film Festival | |
| They've Gotta Have Us | Simon Frederick | |||
| Justine | Stephanie Turner | |||
| Lingua Franca | Isabel Sandoval | Winner of Best Performance and Best Cinematography at the Young Critics Circle | ||
| Residue | Merawi Gerima | Winner of Best Narrative Feature, Audience Award and Acting Award at the Slamdance Film Festival | ||
| Ainu Mosir | Takeshi Fukunaga | |||
| Funny Boy | Deepa Mehta | |||
| Alaska is a Drag | Shaz Bennett | |||
| Definition Please | Sujata Day | |||
| 2021 | In Our Mothers’ Gardens | |||
| Cousins | ||||
| Sankofa | ||||
| Love and Fury | ||||
| 2022 | Donkeyhead | Agam Darshi | ||
| Definition Please | ||||
| Learn to Swim | ||||
| What We Leave Behind | Iliana Sosa | Louis Black "Lone Star" and Fandor New Voices Awards at SXSW; Gotham Best Documentary nominee | ||
| 2023 | Mars One | Gabriel Martins | ||
| Frybread Face and Me | Billy Luther | [9] |
- Cunningham, Todd. "Ava DuVernay's AFFRM Rebrands as ARRAY, Acquires 2 Films". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- Jackson, Angelique (June 8, 2020). "Oprah Winfrey Presents Ava DuVernay's ARRAY With Peabody's Institutional Award". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- Bernstein, Paula. "Ava DuVernay Wants You to Be a Rebel and Join the Movement for Diverse Films". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- Clarke, Ashley. "Ava DuVernay's Rebel-a-Thon offers symposium for black film-makers". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- Whipp, Glenn. "Aiming to diversify storytelling, Ava DuVernay expands scope of film distribution collective". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- Santos, Nix. "Ava Duvernay's Array Releasing Partners With Netflix to Unleash 'Ashes and Embers'". Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- "List of ARRAY Movies on Netflix". What's on Netflix. December 13, 2021.
- Day-Ramos, Dino (September 13, 2019). "Ava DuVernay Debuts Amanda Theater With Inaugural ARRAY 360 Film Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- Tangcay, Jazz (November 3, 2023). "Array Acquires 'Frybread Face and Me,' Sets Limited Theatrical Run and Netflix Debut (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2023.