A.V. Rockwell, director of A Thousand and One, was honored with the Breakthrough Director Award at the 33rd Annual Gotham Awards, live from Cipriani Wall Street on Monday night. The honor was presented by Cadillac, a Premier Sponsor of the 2023 award show.
A Thousand and One, a Focus Features’ film, portrays the story of a woman who kidnaps her son from the foster care system and raises him herself. They struggle with the ever-changing conditions of New York City, and it’s an epic story about a mother’s desire for her child to succeed and excel in an environment that’s not so accommodating.
Teyana Taylor, singer, songwriter, and actress, has received critical acclaim for her role as Inez, the resilient young mother in the film. Rockwell and her team evaluated numerous actresses, yet no one could portray the truth of this character like Taylor.
“I have to give so much credit to Avy Kaufman, my casting director,” said Rockwell. “I think we just really tried to search everywhere high and low and we both agreed that when Teyanna came along, that she was it. She was the one and I’m so proud of her.”
Rockwell, a New York native and NYU graduate, feels that her educational background gave her the foundation to create this remarkable film. The relentless studying of the filmmaking craft caused her dreams to become reality, and she couldn’t be more excited about her Breakthrough Director Award for her feature debut.
“I still feel emotional and largely speechless, but I’m so grateful to the Gothams. I’m so grateful to the jury,” Rockwell said. “I again share this with my cast and crew and everyone that just fought so hard to get this story out into the world. I also share it with the other nominees to be honest because, again, breaking through is not easy.”
To see the full interview, click this link here.
Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Gotham Film & Media Institute