{"id":76166,"date":"2016-06-22T16:55:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2016\/06\/22\/first-look-ava-duvernays-queen-sugar\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T02:58:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T02:58:41","slug":"first-look-ava-duvernays-queen-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/first-look-ava-duvernays-queen-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"First Look To Ava DuVernay’s \u2018Queen Sugar\u2019 For OWN"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Look To Ava DuVernay’s \u2018Queen Sugar\u2019 For OWN<\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

June 22, 2016<\/p>\n

\"Queen<\/a><\/p>\n

OWN\u2019s has released a first look to its new original drama series Queen Sugar, from Ava DuVernay<\/strong> and Warner Horizon Television.<\/p>\n

The cast includes Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Kofi Siriboe, Omar Dorsey, Tina Lifford, Dondr\u00e9 Whitfield, Timon Kyle Durrett and Nicholas L. Ashe<\/strong>; with Oprah Winfrey <\/strong>set to appear in a recurring role.<\/p>\n

DuVernay will write, direct and exec produce the drama, adapted from the novel \u201cQueen Sugar\u201d by Natalie Baszile<\/strong>. “Queen Sugar” marks DuVernay\u2019s first television series and Winfrey\u2019s acting debut on OWN.<\/p>\n

As stated in The New York Times<\/a>, “The film will feature an all-female directorial team, with many of the candidates pulled from a pool of African-American independent film directors<\/strong>.” They are Neema Barnette, Kat Candler, Ava DuVernay, Tina Mabry, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tanya Hamilton, So Yong Kim<\/strong>, and Victoria Mahoney<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Queen<\/a><\/p>\n

The series centers on the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings \u2013 Nova (Rutina Wesley), Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) \u2013 who come together after a family tragedy to run an ailing sugarcane farm in the Deep South. Production begins this month in Lousiana and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Lifford plays Violet Bordelon, the aunt to the Bordelon siblings, a spunky woman involved in a long-term relationship with the younger Hollywood Desonier (Omar Dorsey). Whitfield is Remy Newell, a trusted friend working on the Bordelon land as a water irrigation specialist. Durrett plays Davis West, a charismatic and respected professional basketball player married to Charley Bordelon West (Gardner) who becomes embroiled in a public scandal with his teammates. Ashe plays Davis and Charley\u2019s 15-year-old son Micah, who despite a privileged life, is grounded and has a great relationship with his parents.<\/p>\n