Participant Media And Ava Duvernay Re-Team For Hurricane Katrina Project

Participant Media And Ava Duvernay Re-Team For Hurricane Katrina Project

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LOS ANGELES (January 26, 2015) — Participant Media and Golden Globe® nominee Ava DuVernay have teamed to develop a new narrative feature film chronicling a sweeping love story and complex murder mystery during the time of Hurricane Katrina. DuVernay will write, produce, and direct. Golden Globe® nominee David Oyelowo is in negotiations to produce and star. The project will mark the third collaboration of DuVernay and Oyelowo after SELMAnominated for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture, and Participant’s MIDDLE OF NOWHEREwinner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Best Director Award for DuVernay. Participant Media's Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King will serve as executive producers.  

Jonathan King, Participant’s EVP Narrative Film, will oversee production for Participant. King commented, “Hurricane Katrina is one of the most important social and environmental stories of our time. Ava DuVernay has shown herself to be highly skilled at bringing intimacy and contemporary urgency to epic events. We have been looking for the right way to get back in business with Ava, and with David Oyelowo, and are proud to re-team with them on her original idea, which we believe will be a powerful film.”   

"I'm thrilled to reunite with my Participant family on this project and fortunate to work again with the always exquisite David Oyelowo," explained DuVernay. "The story we're interested in will explore the complexities of intimate relationships within times of chaos, while also examining the chaos itself. I'm looking forward to the journey." 

David Oyelowo can currently be seen as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Paramount’s acclaimed drama, SELMA. Oyelowo has received individual Golden Globe, Spirit and NAACP Awards nominations for his performance. He serves as star and producer on two films which recently wrapped production, including CAPTIVE opposite Kate Mara, and FIVE NIGHTS IN MAINE with Dianne Wiest. His next project is QUEEN OF KATWE opposite Lupita Nyong’o. This project will mark Oyelowo's fifth collaboration with Participant, after MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, THE HELP, LINCOLN, and A MOST VIOLENT YEAR. 

DuVernay is represented by Paradigm and Del, Moonves, Shaw, Tanaka and Finkelstein. Oyelowo is represented by CAA, Inphenate, Hamilton Hodell and Schreck, Rose, Dapello & Adams. Jeff Ivers and Gabe Brakin negotiated for Participant Media. 

 

About Participant Media

Participant Media (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant's more than 60 films include Good Night, and Good LuckSyrianaAn Inconvenient TruthFood, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’The HelpContagion and Lincoln. Participant launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot (http://www.pivot.tv/), the company’s television network, is available nationally in 47 million homes, with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. TakePart (http://www.TakePart.com) is Participant’s digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.