Ava DuVernay is having one hell of a 2016. After bursting into Oscar conversations, mainstream Hollywood circles, and onto A-lists in 2014 with her film “Selma,” DuVernay has been incredibly busy. This year saw her first television series, “Queen Sugar,” kick off on OWN, she became the first woman in 12 years to open the New York Film Festival with “13th,” and she’s about to start production on Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” the first $100 million film to be directed by a woman of color.
DuVernay’s packed schedule and increasingly high profile career haven’t stopped her from railing against sexism and racism in the industry, and we’re betting that she’ll continue to fight the good fight no matter how much mainstream success she achieves. She won’t shy away from speaking her mind, and Hollywood is better for it. In a recent interview with Glamour Magazine, DuVernay was as candid as ever, saying what we all know to be true.
Hollywood is “a patriarchy, headed by men and built for men,” she said. “To pretend like Hollywood is anything other than that is disingenuous. #OscarsSoWhite is trendy, but for women filmmakers and filmmakers of color, it’s not a trend.” She explained, “This is our reality, and it’s important that we do something to change it. We have to find new ways to work without permission, new ways to turn corners and go through doors that are closed off to us to create our own audiences and our own material independently.”
Glamour asked DuVernay where she draws her confidence from, and her answer was equal parts touching and inspiring. “Because my mom always told me that I could,” she shared. “From a very early age, I felt comfortable leading. I did not have any problem with speaking up because my mother, my family, my grandmother, my aunt — I grew up in a family dominated by women — always encouraged me to do so. And if a girl is unafraid, then the world is her oyster.”
As a result of her bravery, confidence, and talent, DuVernay has become an inspiration to countless girls and women. (Remember how fast her Barbie sold out?)
Head over to Glamour for the entire interview.
