Regina King Makes History at Venice Film Festival with Her Directorial Debut, Which Got Rave Reviews

Regina King is the first Black woman to direct a movie selected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The Oscar-winning actress is making her directorial debut with the movie One Night in Miami, which is having its premiere at the festival this week.

Regina is not in attendance at the festival due to the pandemic, but she appeared at the press conference via Zoom to discuss the honor of being included. She noted that if her film fails, it will make it difficult for another Black woman to have the same chance in the future.

“Unfortunately, across the world, that’s how things seem to work. One woman gets a shot and if she does not succeed, it shuts thing down for years until someone else gets a shot,” she said (via Variety). “I am so grateful for our film to be a part of the festival but I really, really want it to perform well. There’s so much talent out there — so many talented directors — so if One Night in Miami gets it done here, you’ll get to see a lot more of us.”

We’re glad to report that the movie is indeed succeeding and it’s earning some rave reviews at the festival. With just 10 reviews so far, the movie is currently at a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Regina is nominated for an Emmy this month for her work on the HBO series Watchmen.