Ava DuVernay Unveils ‘14th’ at London Film Festival

Ava DuVernay brought her new documentary 14th to the BFI London Film Festival on Monday, extending an early festival run for a film that examines the promises—and present-day pressure points—of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Netflix documentary screened as the festival’s Special Documentary Presentation after debuting at the New York Film Festival on October 9. DuVernay appeared in London with producers Tammy Garnes and Paul Garnes, where the team received a standing ovation before a post-screening conversation.

A companion to ‘13th,’ not a repeat

Arriving a decade after DuVernay’s Emmy-winning 13th, the new film shifts from mass incarceration to the amendment associated with birthright citizenship, due process and equal protection. It traces those principles from Reconstruction to current political battles, using interviews with lawmakers, activists and media figures from different ideological positions.

DuVernay said the project began taking shape during the 2024 presidential campaign, when renewed debate over birthright citizenship pushed her to study the amendment more closely. The production then evolved alongside fast-moving news, forcing the filmmakers to connect legal history with developments unfolding while they worked.

The interview roster includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Stacey Abrams, Bryan Stevenson, Hasan Piker and Anna Paulina Luna. DuVernay told the London audience that the team sought a broad range of views and contacted more than 300 Republican or MAGA-aligned figures; she said four agreed to participate.

DuVernay looks beyond old Hollywood models

During a separate festival talk, DuVernay also argued that filmmakers should explore crowdfunding, direct audience support and other alternatives as traditional studio structures consolidate. Her comments placed 14th within a larger question running through her career: how independent creators can build systems capable of supporting stories that established gatekeepers overlook.

14th runs a little over 100 minutes. Netflix plans a limited theatrical release in selected U.S. and U.K. cinemas beginning November 27, followed by a global streaming debut on December 4.