A’ZIAH King, the real-life Zola whose Twitter thread about an infamous trip to Florida in 2015 captivated millions, is not happy at all with filmmakers A24, the independent production company who turned the Twitter thread into a critically acclaimed movie in 2020.
Using Twitter in a way only she can, King has gone on another compelling, slightly shorter, tirade on the social media platform to get her point across.
It all started when A24’s movie Zola, which Rolling Stone called “smart, hyper-stylish, coded and colourful”, was recently nominated for several awards at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards.
But King, who was attached as Executive Producer of the movie, allegedly did not receive writing credits and was left off the invite list for the awards.
Calling out A24 on Twitter, King wrote: “I think it’s hilarious ZOLA is up for 7 awards & no one thought to invite me nor include me in the writers award category… As if there would’ve been a film or a script to write if I didn’t um…write it? The most of any film this year & any film @A24 has EVER made btw.
“@A24 y’all full of shit. Honestly,” she continued.
“I think it’s HILARIOUS everyone else is on my Television promoting & speaking on my experience as if it’s their moment & not a moment I created for us all.
“I think it’s hilarious my intellect, trauma & talent is being overshadowed & hijacked,” she continued. “I AM the moment! Excuse me while I laugh.”
Production company A24 has grown an almost cult following in recent years with mainstream arthouse films like the Academy Award-winning Moonlight, coming-of-age drama Lady Bird, revered music documentary Amy, and chilling sci-fi Ex Machina.
In 2016, James Franco was set to adapt a feature based on a Rolling Stone interview with King, but A24 wound up bringing the film to life after they bought the distribution rights in 2018. Directed and written by Janicza Bravo, with a co-writing credit for playwright Jeremy O. Harris, the film premiered at Sundance in 2020 and had its theatrical release in June 2021.
King made it clear that her quarrel is with A24 alone, and went on to praise Bravo and Harris’s writing in the Twitter thread.
“I am in awe of Janicza & Jeremy’s writing & directing,” she said. “They deserve & have fought for me for YEARS. However not receiving an invite or even being thought of is the issue.”
See the full Twitter thread below:
King eventually secured herself an invite after the online blog site The Shade Room posted about her ordeal. A24 have yet to comment on King’s claims.