Ava DuVernay Expands 14th Amendment Doc Beyond Birthright — SkimNews
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- Ava DuVernay initially pitched a documentary focused solely on birthright citizenship to Netflix, but expanded the scope after two years of research revealed broader constitutional threats.
- 14th Amendment contains foundational rights like the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses, which DuVernay says 'flies under the radar' despite reshaping U.S. legal protections.
- Netflix greenlit DuVernay’s follow-up to '13th', supporting a deep exploration of constitutional history that challenged the filmmaker’s original premise.
- DuVernay emphasized that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments together function as a 'new constitution' grafted onto the original, a perspective she didn’t fully grasp at the project’s start.
- National Geographic Documentary Films is distributing the film, continuing its focus on politically resonant documentaries through Disney+ and Hulu.
Why it matters: The documentary reframes public understanding of the 14th Amendment at a time when its protections are being legally and politically tested—making its lesser-known clauses newly urgent for educators, lawmakers, and voters who rely on these rights but may not recognize their source.
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