On February 26, the African American Steering Committee (AASC) meeting featured the event, A Conversation with DGA Award-nominated Directors Cord Jefferson & A. V. Rockwell.
AASC Co-Chairs Jeffrey W. Byrd and Gina Prince-Bythewood served as moderators for the discourse with Jefferson and Rockwell whose respective films, American Fiction and A Thousand and One, earned them nominations for the DGA’s Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director.
During the conversation both Directors shared that they wrote the screenplays and felt a lot of ownership of the projects. Rockwell shared that she was raised in NY and wanted to showcase a particular time and era, so that you can watch the film as a time capsule capturing the essence of New York City during this period. There were time jumps that showed a shift in the city and she wanted to express those experiences, particularly for Black Communities. When casting for the film, Rockwell said that she had her lead actor read for the role and that’s where she really stood out. There had to be authenticity to honor and truthfully represent the character.
Jefferson shared how reading the novel Erasure felt so personal having had the experience of being told to make something “Blacker” or having been expected to focus on and cover “Black” stories specifically, he felt had to adapt it into a screenplay. While reading and developing the script he even began to read it in Actor Jeffery Wright’s voice. So, casting Jeffery Wright, and being able to work with the Actors who accepted roles was an honor and he learned to trust their instincts with each character. Having a small budget made him more resourceful and creative in his choices, particularly on what made it to screen. He revealed that he had to fight to keep characters that were important to him and are not usually seen in film. He also gave a special shout out to Director Robert Townsend for the impact his film, Hollywood Shuffle, had on him as a child. Jefferson said there is a connection between the two films, and it planted the seed of what was possible. Townsend will be honored by the AASC later this year.
The meeting also included a special tribute to the late Director Carl Weathers, who served as a Co-chair of the Committee from 2009-2011.
About the Panelists:
 Cord Jefferson
Before helming his feature directorial debut film, American Fiction, Jefferson’s industry credits include serving as a writer on mini-series and series such as Watchmen and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore; and as a writer-producer on the series Station Eleven, Master of None and The Good Place. |
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 A.V. Rockwell
Before helming her feature directorial debut film, A Thousand and One, Rockwell’s directorial credits include an episode of the series Boomerang, the special Shape your future 2020 Census, and numerous short films and music videos. She became a DGA member in 2018. |
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About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.