With awards season in full swing and taking over the film industry as always, A.V. Rockwell is calling out voter bias against her film.
The director, who made her debut behind the camera in A Thousand and One last March, told Vanity Fair that she thinks the film deserved more recognition from major awards voters.
"It can be very disheartening and draining because it's like we're not even given a shot," she said. "Even with all the love that's out there, I think people are kind of set in only certain movies, or only certain filmmakers, getting a chance to be a part of certain conversations."
Although Rockwell and A Thousand and One have been recognized at minor awards shows (she won a Gotham Award for breakthrough director, and the film won the Sundance Institute's Grand Jury prize), they haven't reached the critical acclaim she'd hoped. In fact, she's not even convinced some critics have seen her film.
"It was incredible that we came out of Sundance on the high that we did, but I'm not convinced that people, including critics, really gave our movie a chance just in watching it," she said. "People just have such a bias, and have such an expectation — or lack of expectation."
To her point, A Thousand and One certainly has the bones of an awards-worthy drama, from its tear-jerking story to compelling performances by Teyana Taylor and newcomer Aaron Kingsley. Check out the trailer below.
The director, who made her debut behind the camera in A Thousand and One last March, told Vanity Fair that she thinks the film deserved more recognition from major awards voters.
"It can be very disheartening and draining because it's like we're not even given a shot," she said. "Even with all the love that's out there, I think people are kind of set in only certain movies, or only certain filmmakers, getting a chance to be a part of certain conversations."
Although Rockwell and A Thousand and One have been recognized at minor awards shows (she won a Gotham Award for breakthrough director, and the film won the Sundance Institute's Grand Jury prize), they haven't reached the critical acclaim she'd hoped. In fact, she's not even convinced some critics have seen her film.
"It was incredible that we came out of Sundance on the high that we did, but I'm not convinced that people, including critics, really gave our movie a chance just in watching it," she said. "People just have such a bias, and have such an expectation — or lack of expectation."
To her point, A Thousand and One certainly has the bones of an awards-worthy drama, from its tear-jerking story to compelling performances by Teyana Taylor and newcomer Aaron Kingsley. Check out the trailer below.
