Origin | What is Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay’s new film about and when is it out in the UK?

The Golden Lion nominated new work from Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay is set for release this week in the United Kingdom, as the story of Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson is brought to the big screen with “Origin.” It marks DuVernay’s first cinematic outing since 2018’s “A Wrinkle In Time,” but appears more in line with her historical work, “Selma” than that of pure fiction.

She is joined by another Academy Award nominee playing the lead role of Wilkerson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who earned plaudits for her portrayal of Oracene "Brandy" Price, the mother of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, but perhaps in playing Wilkson has found herself in one of her most gruelling roles to date; the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize.

In her acclaimed book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," Wilkerson examines the issue of racism in the United States and how it is part of a larger caste system. This system is a society-wide structure of social stratification that is characterized by notions such as hierarchy, inclusion and exclusion, and purity. 

To write this book, Wilkerson travelled across the United States and the world, comparing the experiences of people of colour in America to the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany. She explores the impact of caste on the societies that are shaped by it, and on the people who live within those societies.

What is “Origin” about?

“Origin chronicles the tragedy and triumph of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson as she investigates a global phenomenon of epic proportions. Portrayed by Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard”), Isabel experiences unfathomable personal loss and love as she crosses continents and cultures to craft one of the defining American books of our time.”

Who stars in “Origin”?

Alongside Ellis-Taylor are some familiar faces, including Jon Bernthal (“The Walking Dead,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,) Vera Farmiga (“Up In The Air”) and Nick Offerman (“The Last of Us,” “Parks and Recreation).

• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
• Niecy Nash-Betts
• Jon Bernthal
• Vera Farmiga
• Nick Offerman
• Victoria Pedretti

How long is the run time for “Origin”?

“Origin” runs for 141 minutes, or 1 hour 41 minutes - a similar run time to Blumhouse’s latest horror film, “Imaginary.”

What age rating is “Origin”?

The British Board of Film Classification has rated “Origin” as 12A for “discrimination, moderate violence, threat, brief sexual threat, language.” In their summary of the reasons behind the 12A rating, they wrote: “An academic examines racism as an aspect of the caste system in this often harrowing US drama. Discriminatory language and behaviour occur in a historical context, and there is a brief sexual threat.”

When is “Origin” released in the United Kingdom?

Although there have been limited screens of “Origin” since February, Ava DuVernay’s film gets a general theatrical release on March 8 2024.