Musicians and filmmakers teaming up for music videos is certainly nothing new, but that powerhouses Ava DuVernay and Jay-Z—not to mention more than 20 of their celebrity friends—managed to even find time to work together on an 8-minute, cinematic short might be news in and of itself. DuVernay said of the video, for Jay-Z's 4:44 track Family Feud, "Everyone rallied to be there on short notice."

And that everyone isn't just anyone. Aside from Jay-Z and Beyoncé, the cast is a who's who of contemporary stars, and DuVernay fans will appreciate seeing many of her regular collaborators on screen, from Mindy Kaling of the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time to David Oyelowo of Selma. Another nod to DuVernay's body of work comes in a reference to the 13th Amendment, subject of her documentary 13th.

After directing A Wrinkle in Time DuVernay is no stranger to creating futuristic worlds, and she has done just that in Family Feud. Here, a future is envisioned where a group of powerful women has re-written the Constitution. The short has a complex plot line and, typical of recent Jay-Z fare, touches on everything from family dynamics to power struggles to American politics at large.

DuVernay, who has been known for sharing filmmaking advice and her process on Twitter, laid out an epic behind-the-scenes thread about the making of the video. The tweets include inspiration visuals for some of the scenes in the film, and shout-outs to her crew, like DP Antonio Calvache who has been shooting DuVernay's TV series Queen Sugar. Click below to read the entire thread.

Currently, the video is only available in full on Tidal, but the service is offering a free trial now, and you can watch a teaser below:

Ava DuVernaybeyoncejay-zMusic Video
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