ARRAY

{{Short description|Independent distribution company}}

{{Distinguish|Array}}

{{Redirect-distinguish|AFFRM|Affirm (disambiguation){{!}}Affirm}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox company

| name = ARRAY Now

| logo = ARRAY logo.jpg

| logo_size =

| logo_alt = ARRAY Now Film Distribution logo

| logo_caption =

| logo_padding =

| image =

| image_size =

| image_alt = ARRAY Now Film Distribution logo

| image_caption =

| former_name = African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM)

| type =

| industry = Film industry

| founded = 2011

| founder = Ava DuVernay

| hq_location = Los Angeles, California

| hq_location_city =

| hq_location_country =

| area_served =

| key_people = Ava DuVernay

| products = Film distribution

| brands =

| services = Film distribution
Film marketing

| owner =

| website = {{URL|arraynow.com}}

}}

ARRAY is an independent distribution company launched by film maker and former publicist Ava DuVernay in 2011 under the name African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM). In 2015, the company rebranded itself as ARRAY.{{cite web|last1=Cunningham|first1=Todd|title=Ava DuVernay’s AFFRM Rebrands as ARRAY, Acquires 2 Films|url=https://www.thewrap.com/ava-duvernays-affrm-rebrands-as-array-acquires-2-films/|accessdate=November 13, 2015|archive-date=November 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104131723/https://www.thewrap.com/ava-duvernays-affrm-rebrands-as-array-acquires-2-films/|url-status=live}}

In 2020 the Peabody Awards honored the company with the Institutional Honor for "amplifying film and TV projects by people of color and women filmmakers".{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Angelique |date=June 8, 2020 |title=Oprah Winfrey Presents Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY With Peabody’s Institutional Award |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/ava-duvernay-array-peabody-institutional-award-oprah-winfrey-1234991369/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=Variety}}

History

DuVernay launched the company in 2010 after her debut feature film I Will Follow failed to acquire distribution. ARRAY has stated that its mission is to “produce, distribute and amplify work from Black artists, filmmakers of color and women of all kinds.”

In May 2015, DuVernay held a 12-hour Rebel-a-thon on Twitter to raise funds for the company. For 12 hours black directors like Ryan Coogler, John Singleton, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tina Mabry, Julie Dash and more answered questions from the general public in order to raise awareness for ARRAY and encourage people to donate funds.{{cite web|last1=Bernstein|first1=Paula|title=Ava DuVernay Wants You to Be a Rebel and Join the Movement for Diverse Films|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/ava-duvernay-wants-you-to-be-a-rebel-and-join-the-movement-for-diverse-films-20150527|accessdate=November 13, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020315/http://www.indiewire.com/article/ava-duvernay-wants-you-to-be-a-rebel-and-join-the-movement-for-diverse-films-20150527|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Clarke|first1=Ashley|title=Ava DuVernay's Rebel-a-Thon offers symposium for black film-makers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/28/ava-duvernay-rebel-a-thon-black-film-makers-symposium|accessdate=November 13, 2015}} Actors Thandiwe Newton, Kerry Washington and Jessica Chastain were among those who made substantial donations to the company.{{cite web|last1=Whipp|first1=Glenn|title=Aiming to diversify storytelling, Ava DuVernay expands scope of film distribution collective|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-ava-duvernay-20150908-story.html|accessdate=November 13, 2015}}

In 2016 ARRAY signed a deal partnering with Netflix to distribute their films online.{{cite web |last1=Santos |first1=Nix |title=Ava Duvernay’s Array Releasing Partners With Netflix to Unleash ‘Ashes and Embers’ |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/ava-duvernays-array-releasing-partners-with-netflix-to-unleash-ashes-and-embers-63767/ |accessdate=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228221917/https://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/ava-duvernays-array-releasing-partners-with-netflix-to-unleash-ashes-and-embers-63767/ |url-status=live }} Since 2016 all ARRAY films have appeared exclusively on Netflix and stay on the platform for three years.{{cite web|title=List of ARRAY Movies on Netflix|url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/list-of-array-movies-on-netflix/|website=What's on Netflix|date=December 13, 2021}}

In 2019, the company created the Amanda cinema, named after founder Ava DuVernay's aunt, that was exclusively dedicated to showing films by people of color.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/array-360-ava-duvernay-array-creative-campus-agnes-varda-john-singleton-michael-mann-1202733582/|title=Ava DuVernay Debuts Amanda Theater With Inaugural ARRAY 360 Film Series|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Dino|last=Day-Ramos|date=September 13, 2019|access-date=November 5, 2023|archive-date=November 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105111910/https://deadline.com/2019/09/array-360-ava-duvernay-array-creative-campus-agnes-varda-john-singleton-michael-mann-1202733582/|url-status=live}}

Films distributed

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Director

! Notes

! Ref

rowspan=2|2011

| I Will Follow

| Ava DuVernay

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/i-will-follow I Will Follow]

Kinyarwanda

| Alrick Brown

| Winner of the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival

| [https://arraynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Kinyarwanda.jpg Kinyarwanda]

rowspan=2|2012

| Restless City

| Andrew Dosunmu

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/restless-city Restless City]

Middle of Nowhere

| Ava DuVernay

| Winner of Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival

| [http://www.arraynow.com/middle-of-nowhere Middle of Nowhere]

rowspan=2|2013

| Better Mus' Come

| Storm Saulter

|

| {{Cite web | url=http://www.arraynow.com/better-mus-come | title=Better Mus' Come | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118203855/http://www.arraynow.com/better-mus-come | archive-date=2021-11-18}}

Big Words

| Neil Drumming

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/big-words Big Words]

2014

| Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe à la Hache

| Nailah Jefferson

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/vanishing-pearls Vanishing Pearls]

rowspan=3|2015

| Mississippi Damned

| Tina Mabry

| Premiered in 2009 but not distributed until 2015

| {{Cite web | url=http://www.arraynow.com/mississippi-damned | title=Mississippi Damned | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127214625/http://www.arraynow.com/mississippi-damned | archive-date=2021-11-27}}

Out of My Hand

| Takeshi Fukunaga

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/out-of-my-hand Out of My Hand]

Ayanda

| Sara Blecher

| Special Jury Prize in the World Fiction Competition at the LA Film Festival

| [https://arraynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ayanda.jpg Ayanda]

rowspan=2|2016Echo Park

| Amanda Marsalis

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/echo-park Echo Park]

Honeytrap

| Rebecca Johnson

|

| {{Cite web | url=http://www.arraynow.com/honeytrap | title=Honeytrap | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122163309/http://www.arraynow.com/honeytrap | archive-date=2021-11-22}}

rowspan=3|2017

| Namour

| Heidi Saman

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/namour Namour]

The House on Coco Road

| Damani Baker

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/the-house-on-coco-road The House on Coco Road]

Teach Us All

| Sonia Lowman

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/teach-us-all Teach Us All]

rowspan=3|2018

| Jewel's Catch One

| C. Fitz

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/jewels-catch-one Jewel’s Catch One]

Vaya

| Akin Omotoso

| Winner of Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Africa Movie Academy Awards

| [http://www.arraynow.com/vaya Vaya]

Roll With Me

| Lisa France

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/roll-with-me Roll With Me]

rowspan=4|2019

| The Burial of Kojo

| Blitz Bazawule

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/the-burial-of-kojo The Burial of Kojo]

Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen

| Heperi Mita

|

| {{Cite web | url=https://arraynow.com/news/array-releasing-news/merata-a-loving-comprehensive-and-inquisitive-ode/ | title= “Merata,” a loving, comprehensive and inquisitive ode}}

Burning Cane

| Phillip Youmans

| Winner of Best U.S. Narrative Film, Best Cinematography and Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival

| [http://www.arraynow.com/burning-cane Burning Cane]

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

| Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn

| Winner of Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the Canadian Screen Awards

| [http://www.arraynow.com/the-body-remembers-when-the-world-broke-open The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open]

rowspan=9|2020

| Jezebel

| Numa Perrier

| Winner of Best Feature and Best Director at the American Black Film Festival

| [http://www.arraynow.com/jezebel Jezebel]

They've Gotta Have Us

| Simon Frederick

|

| [https://arraynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/RCarter-1-scaled.jpg They've Gotta Have Us]

Justine

| Stephanie Turner

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/justine Justine]

Lingua Franca

| Isabel Sandoval

| Winner of Best Performance and Best Cinematography at the Young Critics Circle

| [http://www.arraynow.com/lingua-franca Lingua Franca]

Residue

| Merawi Gerima

| Winner of Best Narrative Feature, Audience Award and Acting Award at the Slamdance Film Festival

| [http://www.arraynow.com/residue Residue]

Ainu Mosir

| Takeshi Fukunaga

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/ainu-mosir Ainu Mosir]

Funny Boy

| Deepa Mehta

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/funny-boy Funny Boy]

Alaska is a Drag

| Shaz Bennett

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/alaska-is-a-drag Alaska is a Drag]

Definition Please

| Sujata Day

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/definition-please Definition Please]

rowspan=4|2021

|In Our Mothers’ Gardens

|

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/in-our-mothers-gardens/ In Our Mothers’ Gardens]

Cousins

|

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/cousins/ Cousins]

Sankofa

|

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/sankofa/ Sankofa]

Love and Fury

|

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/love-and-fury/ Love and Fury]

rowspan=4|2022

| Donkeyhead

| Agam Darshi

|

| [http://www.arraynow.com/donkeyhead Donkeyhead]

Definition Please

|

|

|

Learn to Swim

|

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/learn-to-swim/ Learn to Swim]

What We Leave Behind

| Iliana Sosa

| Louis Black "Lone Star" and Fandor New Voices Awards at SXSW; Gotham Best Documentary nominee

| [https://arraynow.com/project/what-we-leave-behind/ What We Leave Behind]

rowspan="2"|2023

|Mars One

|Gabriel Martins

|

| [https://arraynow.com/project/mars-one Mars One]

Frybread Face and Me

| Billy Luther

|

| {{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/frybread-face-and-me-billy-luther-array-1235778407/|title=Array Acquires ‘Frybread Face and Me,’ Sets Limited Theatrical Run and Netflix Debut (EXCLUSIVE)|website=Variety|first=Jazz|last=Tangcay|date=November 3, 2023|access-date=November 3, 2023|archive-date=November 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103160032/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/frybread-face-and-me-billy-luther-array-1235778407/|url-status=live}}

References

{{Reflist}}