Ava DuVernay on her new film Origin + Amelia Curran pays tribute to influential songwriter Ron Hynes

The latest film from director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time) is called “Origin.” It follows writer Isabel Wilkerson as she writes the bestselling book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” published in 2020. Ava tells Tom what drew her to adapt a book that seemed unadaptable, how she shot the film in under 40 days without the help of a major studio, and how she got her start in the business of filmmaking. A few years ago, Canada lost one of its greatest songwriters — Newfoundland and Labrador's Ron Hynes. Amelia Curran, a fellow Newfoundland songwriter, is now part of a new compilation record that pays tribute to Ron. Amelia talks about the skill that went into his songs, the significance of his music to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the country at large. Plus, you’ll hear her cover of one of his songs, “Dark River.”