Ava DuVernay & Janelle Monae strike a pose during a special VIP screening of??Queen Sugar? during the 2016 Essence Festival (July 1, 2016).

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network along with Warner Horizon TV and award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay hosted an intimate screening for the much-anticipated original drama series and cast members Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Kofi Siriboe, Omar Dorsey, Tina Lifford, Dondre Whitfield and Nicholas Ashe were on hand to greet friends and family and participate in post-screening Q&A.

Ava DuVernay and??Queen Sugar? cast

Attendees included Common, Janelle Monae, Omari Hardwick (?Power?), Lynn Whitfield (?Greenleaf?), Michelle Williams, Lisa Price (founder, Carol?s Daughter), Ariel Foxman (editor-in-chief, In Style), Linda Spradley Dunn (Odyssey Media), Michaela Angela Davis (BET), Tai Beauchamp (style expert, tv personality), Demetria Lucas (author/editor), Amber Payne (NBC BLK) and more.

Photos below…

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“Queen Sugar” will debut as a two-night event on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at 10PM ET/PT on OWN.

The series will regularly air Wednesday nights at 10PM ET/PT for the remainder of its 13-episode first season.

Photos Courtesy of Getty: Photographer, Josh Brasted