Queen of All Media Oprah Winfrey Premieres Apt Queen Sugar

Photo Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage

It’s only fitting that the Queen of All Media would debut a project called “Queen Sugar” (though Queen Midas might have been more appropriate). Yesterday, August 29, the queen bee herself, Oprah Winfrey, her OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay hosted an exclusive screening at the Warner Bros. Studio Lot’s Steven J. Ross Theater to celebrate the premiere of “Queen Sugar,” the network’s highly anticipated new original drama series.

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The contemporary drama chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Saint Josephine, Louisiana: Nova (Rutina Wesley, “True Blood”), a world-wise journalist and activist; Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner, “Unforgettable”), the savvy wife and manager of a professional basketball star; and Ralph Angel, (Kofi Siriboe, “Awkward”), a formerly incarcerated young father in search of redemption. After a family tragedy, the Bordelons must navigate the triumphs and struggles of their complicated lives in order to run an ailing sugarcane farm in the New South. Led by acclaimed film director DuVernay, who directed the first two episodes, all episodes in the series’ debut season are directed by women. “Queen Sugar” is produced for OWN by Warner Horizon Television. The executive producers for season one are Ava DuVernay, Melissa Carter and Oprah Winfrey.  The series is based on the book by Natalie Baszile.

Photo Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage

In attendance at the premiere with Winfrey and DuVernay were cast members Rutina Wesley (“Nova Bordelon”), Dawn-Lyen Gardner (“Charley Bordelon West”), Kofi Siriboe (“Ralph Angel Bordelon”), Omar J. Dorsey (“Hollywood Desonier”), Dondrй T. Whitfield (“Remy Newell”), Nicholas L. Ashe (“Micah West”), Tina Lifford (“Violet Bordelon”), Timon Kyle Durrett (“Davis West”), Greg Vaughan (“Calvin”), Ethan Hutchison (“Blue”), Marycarmen Lopez (“Reyna Velez”), Bianca Lawson (“Darla”), Estrella Nouri (“Melina Gold”), Glynn Turman (“Ernest Bordelon”), Henry G. Sanders (“Prosper Denton”), KJ Smith (“Lena”), Ninja Devoe (“Roberta”), Tony Winters (“Clive”), True O’Brien (“Stella”), plus Kevin Tsujihara (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros.), Peter Roth (President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Television Group), Brett Paul (Co-President, Warner Horizon Scripted Television) and Susan Rovner (Co-President, Warner Horizon Scripted Television).

Photo Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage

The “Queen Sugar” all-female directorial team that includes Kat Candler, Neema Barnette, Salli Richardson Whitfield, So Yong Kim, Tanya Hamilton, Tina Mabry and Victoria Mahoney were also in attendance. Additional guests at the premiere were David Oyelowo (Queen of Katwe, Selma), Jimmy Iovine, Keith Stanfield (Snowden), Liberty Ross (Actress), Meagan Good (Code Black), Niecy Nash (Scream Queens), Xosha Roquemore (The Mindy Project) and more.

Photo Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage

Following the screening, Oprah, Ava, the cast and guests continued the celebration on the lot’s Brownstone Street and dined on Louisiana cuisine favorites such as beignets, jambalaya, bananas foster and other treats.The series will debut as a two-night event on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. 

Photo Credit: Mark Davis/Wireimage