Ava DuVernay's '13th' Trailer Explores Evolution Of Slavery, Mass Incarceration

The mass incarceration of black people in the United States is an ongoing problem. Jay Z recently addressed it in a video for The New York Times, and now Ava DuVernay is tackling the subject in her forthcoming film 13th.

The title of 13th takes its name from the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States. However, the amendment was written in such a way to where there was a loophole: slavery was allowed to remain legal as a punishment for convicted criminals. In her documentary, DuVernay explores the rise of mass incarceration through the wording of the amendment, and how it has affected black communities across the country.

Here's the official synopsis for 13th:

"The title of Ava DuVernay's extraordinary and galvanizing documentary refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads 'Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States…' The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out by DuVernay with bracing lucidity. With a potent mixture of archival footage and testimony from a dazzling array of activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated women and men, DuVernay creates a work of grand historical synthesis."

It'll be interesting to see how DuVernay explores this epidemic, especially considering some of the people she chose to interview for the film (Newt Gingrich can be seen in the trailer, which is a little surprising considering his political affiliations).

13th will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, where it marks the festival's first ever documentary serving as the opening night film. But if you don't live in New York you won't have to wait too long to see the movie for yourself, because it'll be dropping on Netflix on October 7.

Check out a trailer for 13th below.