Nearly a decade after her groundbreaking, Oscar-nominated documentary 13th examined the legacy of the Thirteenth Amendment and mass incarceration in America, Ava DuVernay is turning her camera toward the next chapter of the U.S. Constitution.
Netflix has announced that it is re-teaming with the acclaimed filmmaker for 14th, a feature documentary exploring the 150-year battle over birthright citizenship, equal protection, and what it truly means to belong in America.
Produced under DuVernay’s ARRAY banner, the film marks her return to nonfiction filmmaking following her recent narrative projects When They See Us and Origin.
While 13th focused heavily on the constitutional exception that allowed slavery as a punishment for crime, 14th dives directly into the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868 during Reconstruction to guarantee citizenship and equal rights to formerly enslaved people.
In a statement, DuVernay highlighted how the new project serves as a companion piece and a direct continuation of that constitutional dialogue:
“If 13th asked who gets caged, then 14th asks who gets counted,” DuVernay shared. “This is not a film about the past tense of freedom. I’m not interested in asking you to look back. The film asks what kind of country is being written beneath our feet now while we’re busy believing the stories we’ve all been told.”
The documentary mixes archival history with urgent modern headlines, tracking how the Fourteenth Amendment has become a perpetual battleground in American politics and legal debates. To explore these questions, DuVernay conducted over 50 interviews with a wide-ranging spectrum of politicians, legal scholars, historians, and cultural commentators.
The film features a wide range of political figures spanning the aisle, including U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Anna Paulina Luna, Senator Alex Padilla, and former Senator Jeff Flake. Legal and civil rights experts such as Sherrilyn Ifill, Stacey Abrams, and Robert Chang also lend their insights to the project.
Additionally, Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Eric Foner and David Blight provide critical context, while commentators like Hasan Piker and conservative author Donald T. Critchlow bring distinct cultural perspectives to the conversation.
14th is directed by DuVernay and produced alongside her longtime collaborators Spencer Averick, Tammy Garnes, and Paul Garnes.
14th is scheduled to premiere globally on Netflix later this year.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com/Paul Garnes
