14 Questions With ‘A Thousand and One’ Writer-Director A.V. Rockwell (Exclusive Video)

It’s time to get familiar with A.V. Rockwell — the writer and director of her hit feature film debut “A Thousand and One,” which is continuing to run up numbers at the box office in addition to earning a 96% from Rotten Tomatoes. Rockwell’s elegant, poetically gritty and soulful artistry was noticed prior to this moment, though. In 2019, she was named as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” and took home the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her short film, “Feathers.” This year she’s seen critical and commercial success for “A Thousand and One.”

She’s been writing and directing ever since her adolescence, leading school plays, though she she says she never saw herself as a writer until she started working on “A Thousand and One.” Like her fave filmmakers Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese, Rockwell is a born and raised New Yorker — a Jamaica Queens New Yorker to be exact. Some of her hometown experiences and coming of age journey were mirrored in her Teyana Taylor-led and Lena Waithe-produced film, “A Thousand and One.”

It’s just the beginning for Rockwell. With the desire to one day work with the iconic and award-winning actress Angela Bassett and a goal to take on the limited series space, here are 14 questions we asked Hollywood’s rising star.

These answers have been condensed for readability purposes.

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Where did your love for writing and directing come from?

I think it was actually an evolution. Growing up I just loved to express myself creatively in all forms, directing school plays in particular. I was also involved in nonprofit performing arts programs that gave me the space to flex my creativity, and just doing performance pieces that allowed me to to guide my peers and create original creative works. I think that, up until that point, unless there was some form of poetry or monologue, writing, for me, it was just what I needed.

It was a tool that I needed in order to direct. It was like, ‘I’m not directing somebody else’s script, so I have to direct my own.’ Or if I do have access to somebody else’s material, if it’s not striking at the heart of what I’m trying to accomplish … I sensed that I had a very specific voice, a very specific view on the world, and it was going to be a while before I found the right writer to collaborate with, so I eventually realized that that collaboration was me.

What’s the first play you remember directing?

We had this competition at a lot of the the city high schools in New York, the grades compete against each other. They give us a theme and we build off of that theme and create original works. That was so exciting for me because I worked in collaboration with my peers, but I got to lead the production as the director. That was my first real experience writing, that was the first time I stayed up overnight. I had never worked that hard in my life just to realize a vision. I didn’t really see myself as a writer. I didn’t really see myself as a writer until I started working on “A Thousand and One.”

Up until that point, I’d written everything that I directed but I was doing that because I hadn’t found the right writing partner yet. Once I realized nobody’s gonna be able to tell stories in the specific way that I tell my stories, nobody can be me in the ways that I see the world. Not to say I would never collaborate with a writer. I look forward to the opportunity to do so, but I really had to embrace that. It’s like, ‘No, you’re just a writer yourself.’ Once I actually admitted that is part of me, and that I wasn’t just doing this as a form of necessity, that’s when I realized I can fully free up now. I can fully take ownership of this and I can really play.

Who would you like to collaborate with?

Writers. There’s so much untapped talent when it comes to writing talent. So I’m open, but I think that me taking ownership of writing, I do embrace the freedom. I have to keep doing what I’ve been doing, but with a lot more self awareness and continuing to write all the original ideas or projects that I want to adapt next.

For directing, the sky’s the limit in terms of actors I look forward to working with. There’s a lot of actors that either I’m like, ‘Wow, this person is truly gifted’ or ‘this person hasn’t had their moment yet.’ You know, a moment that they deserve, or I’m curious to see this person in a new light. I was just thinking about Angela Bassett recently. Obviously, she’s one of the legends. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, it’d be great to find the right role or write the right role for a woman like her, and see her in a fresh way that we haven’t before.’ She’s just one example of the many people I admire. I want to continue to elevate and lift them up, and bring the best out of them as artists, and hopefully they bring the best out of me, too.

Who are the filmmakers you’re a fan of?

The directors I’m mostly a fan or the directors I admire the most would have to be Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese. Not only did I admire them as a child but in film, amongst the filmmakers, their bodies of work were great examples for me. Even before I knew I was a filmmaker, I might not have had the language to express it, I appreciated their voice. I appreciated their point of view. I appreciated that they told stories that were entertaining but still had things to say. I also appreciated the authenticity of their work. Martin Scorsese, we have a completely different life experience, even though we’re both from New York City, but I felt the truthfulness in how he depicted his community and I had a great appreciation for that.

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Movies you love?

I love “Goodfellas” the most. I love “Casino,” “Mean Streets.” It’s amazing. There’s so many by him [Scorsese]. He continues to add, and that’s what’s important to seeing the longevity of these people and seeing them build a life’s work. I’ve gained so many new people that I’m a fan of that I didn’t have access to when I was younger. Euzhan Palcy, who did “Sugar Cane Alley” that’s one of my favorites. She set the stage for the women like me, especially Black women, in order to be where we’re at along with Julie Dash. I love the work of Lena Wertmüeller. “Seven Beauties” is a film I referenced a lot amongst her work. Especially if they weren’t American I didn’t see examples of other people [who] look more like me as a woman, or as a Black woman growing up, especially having a career with longevity. We have so much to say and I got all of that through their work, and being able to see them be visionaries in their own right and how they tell stories.

What drives your work as a writer-director?

I try to write from the heart. I try to tell stories that will heal, inform, entertain and hopefully bring people together. I try to tell stories that have some level of urgency, and that if people are experiencing them they can come out of it. As a person they can somehow see the world differently, even if it’s just how they see themselves differently. If I can use my gifts and my talents as a storyteller to teach people about life and teach us about ourselves; if I’m able to take any of the wisdom that I have and put it into a story that all of us can appreciate, I’ve done my job. I use filmmaking as a way to not only entertain and express what I love about motion pictures; it’s my way to have an impact on society. It’s my way to contribute to society in a way that’s meaningful, in a way that’s positive.

You mentioned your love for motion pictures, what do you love about going to the movies?

I love going to the movies because movies are about community as much as it’s about the art. I love that. Especially in these days and times where we’re so isolated and people are distracted while they’re watching stuff. You’re watching something on TV, but you’re brushing your teeth, or you’re cooking or you’re talking to this person. I love that when you’re in a movie it focuses you to be present. You have to be in the moment enjoying what’s on screen and I appreciate that, because it’s really hard for people to do that. People are with each other, but not really. Just to be able to take the story in and be able to take a break from whatever your life is in order to let somebody else take you into their world, is really beautiful.

A great movie is an emotional roller coaster in its own way. The way it’s able to keep you in your seat but at the same time take you on a wonderful ride and you’re experiencing beautiful images … [and] sounds. You’re immersed in an experience that’s not your own. You can’t get that in the same way if you are watching elsewhere outside of the theater. I love the commentary, too. I love people reacting in real time. I love people talking to the screen, people getting emotional, cursing out the characters and laughing together.

Some of my most memorable movie going experiences were ‘Get Out.’ I remember that was a communal experience, the way everybody was reacting in the theater added to what made it a special memory to go out and see. Those are the types of things that make movies important to go experience, and then go on a date and then talk about it. Those are the things that are lasting memories rather than just a piece of content you need to keep to you busy or distracted right now.

Tell me about growing up in Jamaica Queens?

I grew up in Jamaica Queens, New York. I appreciate where I come from. I love being able to run around St. Helens and all these other local areas, Jamaica Avenue, my stomping grounds. That definitely shaped who I am today. In addition to being in that environment and able to appreciate it, I always loved New York as a whole. I grew up in a single parent household. My parents are Jamaican. My mom always was supportive of anything I was interested in and however I could get access to it, being able to go to the after school programs and having access to all these creative things I was interested in. That alone made me feel so alive and allowed me to continue to develop my different interests. When I went into college, I did not see filmmaking at all, it was something that I had a little bit more of a lofty interest in. I thought I’d probably be a songwriter or something. I was a lot more interested in music and expressing myself behind the scenes. I was probably more interested in that or the production side of things.

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What matters the most to you outside of work?

Doing things that keep me grounded, staying connected with my friends, staying connected with my family. Working in entertainment, it can keep you in a bit of a bubble. It’s always important to me to make sure that I’m staying true to myself and really know who I am so I can appreciate all that is happening for me, but not let go of that.

In my private time, I really love reading. Of course, I love watching movies, going to museums, just taking in art. I want to also take in more nature. I also enjoy quality time, things that keep me connected to people, keep me connected to other human beings. I’m a history buff, I love documentaries. I love anything that tells me about the world I’m living in. I soak up as much as I can from from everything around me.

Where do you feel the most creative?

I feel the most creative at home because when I’m home I’m alone and I can concentrate, especially when I’m trying to write. I want to be my most centered. I’m trying to avoid being distracted. I need to write somewhere isolated. It really doesn’t matter where I’m at, physically, as much as having the space to be able to isolate.

Is that also where you feel the most yourself?

Maybe. The private part of me is important to protect. I try to move through the world as myself at the same time. Of course, depending on the setting I might be a different version of myself, but I’m not hiding anything either. I don’t apologize for any part of me. I tried to really show up into every room that I had to in a way that is authentic and true to who I am. Hopefully people embrace that, if they don’t I understand that, too. You’re not going to be for everybody, but I think that overall I feel good enough in my skin.

What would you like to see change in the world before you leave?

Sometimes we take for granted that we are in a world that is ever-evolving. We also are evolving. I don’t think we understand ourselves as well as we think we do, as human beings and as a species. We are constantly fighting ourselves, trying to remain within constructs we create for ourselves. When we try to define who we are, whether it’s defining who we are according to our skin color, defining who we are according to sexual preferences or gender identities, we’re constantly creating these rubrics and standards. We may be getting to understand ourselves better, but we still don’t fully know how complicated we are. We are more complicated than we allow ourselves to be.

I hope that by the time I leave this planet we will be a bit more open to discovery, rather than trying to continually maintain the status quo and assume we can only live within the certain box we created for ourselves. I hope that we eradicate a lot of things within that space, too. I hope by the time I leave this planet people realize that things like racism are pretty dumb. It’s not even that it’s problematic, but that in itself it is a construct, even when you look at the rules of what it means to be within a race. Black people alone, you know how many skin tones we have. We all constitute as Black. It’s just not a foolproof system. A lot of the labels we try to create for ourselves are not foolproof, it just goes back to this idea that we need to celebrate what it means to be human and embrace that.

How do you feel about the praise you’re getting for “A Thousand and One”? Does any of it feel surreal?

It’s been a beautiful time, I’m so appreciative. I am so grateful the movie is being seen. I’m so happy people are seeing themselves in this movie. I am happy the movie is enriching people in ways that they are enjoying it and embracing it. Winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance was amazing. That moment was surreal for me because it’s a moment that I could appreciate as a filmmaker, telling a story about other people and me trying to tell a story in which a group of people that feel invisible, don’t feel seen and who feel misunderstood, feel ostracized. That was the best representation of success that I could feel just in the initial launch of the movie. All those things mean something and I appreciate it so much. People reach out and give us all of our flowers. A lot of people, whether you see them or not, really fought to get [“A Thousand and One”] made and put so much of themselves in it, so the success of the film is a shared success. I’m grateful that this is a triumph for all of us.

What’s next? Working on anything right now?

Everything. I’m so grateful that I was able to begin my journey by looking back at the past and the version of my coming of age in New York that I was able to acknowledge with this film. As an artist there’s still so many aspects of myself that I want to expand, be able to enjoy sharing with audiences well beyond what I’ve been able to do already. There’s definitely more ideas that I have for films, from projects that I’d love to adapt as well as original ideas. Those are things I’m beginning to develop and write. I also would love to branch out into TV. The limited series space really makes sense for me. I’m excited as everyone else just to keep going and continue sharing stories that really resonate with people.

Watch the trailer for “A Thousand and One” below.