Season 1 of Ava DuVernay’s “Queen Sugar” was helmed entirely by female directors. As she explained in a Los Angeles Times profile, that was no accident — and Season 2 will be no different. “I wanted people with my sensibility, who care about the things I care about,” the “Selma” director said of her decision to hire only women filmmakers. The second season of the family drama — which premieres tonight — will be all women-directed again, this time with even more queer women and women of color stepping behind the camera.
According to the Times, “Watermelon Woman” helmer Cheryl Dunye directed an upcoming episode, as did Aurora Guerrero (“Mosquita y Mari”), DeMane Davis (“Lift”), and Amanda Marsalis (“Echo Park”). “[DuVernay] really is building this army of bad asses,” observed Kat Candler, who has directed several episodes of the series.
“For us, this is not a trend, this is not a publicity stunt. This is our choice,” DuVernay stated. “Just like it’s their choice never to think about hiring a woman,” she added, referencing series like “Game of Thrones” that are helmed entirely by dudes.
“A lot of the directors Ava’s working with … have made wonderful work and have not been able to be a part of the system because of our gender,” Dunye told the Times. “We might get praise and win awards, but when it comes to hiring for industry jobs, people just don’t want to put that bet on a woman director. I made groundbreaking work in the early ’90s and here I am finally getting an opportunity to do television.”
DuVernay’s commitment to hiring female filmmakers isn’t just a boon for women looking to direct TV; it’s also changing actors’ worldview. “You don’t realize that your ‘normal’ hasn’t included you until it does,” said main cast member Dawn-Lyen Gardner, who had never collaborated with a woman director for TV before “Queen Sugar.”
Based on Natalie Baszile’s novel, “Queen Sugar” was created by DuVernay, who served as showrunner on Season 1. Monica Macer is the showrunner on Season 2. The drama’s first season finale ranked as the number one cable telecast for women when it aired, delivering 2.76 million total viewers. Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Victoria Mahoney (“Yelling to the Sky”), So Yong Kim (“For Ellen”), and DuVernay herself were among the first season’s directors. DuVernay will helm an episode in Season 2 as well, if her production schedule on “A Wrinkle in Time” permits.
Part 1 of “Queen Sugar’s” two-night premiere airs tonight on OWN. Part 2 will air tomorrow, June 21.
