Ava DuVernay is at it again. The “13th” director can always be counted on to deliver powerful truths about the industry, whether she’s describing Hollywood as “a patriarchy, headed by men and built for men,” or sounding off on the privilege of being able to say no to opportunities. DuVernay is often asked about being a woman in a male-dominated field, and she consistently comes up with fresh, thoughtful answers.
In a new interview with The Atlantic, the “Selma” helmer was asked about her decision to have women direct every episode of OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” the family drama she created with Oprah Winfrey. “I grew up in a matriarchy, in a family of all women. I don’t understand a structure where women aren’t making decisions; that’s a foreign thing for me,” she said. “Not that you can’t work with men, but the fact that there would be such an imbalance to any kind of process, whether government or industry, is uncomfortable for me. When I was able to dictate what my space would be and who I would be around and who would be around me, I was just striving for balance.”
If you’re wondering why “balance” means having an all-female directing roster, consider the wider context. Ninety-one percent of series in the 2015–16 TV season featured no women directors, according to a study from the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film.
As DuVernay explained, “With ‘Queen Sugar’ I felt like it was necessary to overcorrect for the abominable statistics in that space in television. But, in general, I’m just looking for there to be a little bit of everybody. I don’t think that should be a radical idea.” And then the eminently quotable — and prolific — filmmaker added, “I don’t think about it much: I just make it so.”
DuVernay’s next feature, “A Wrinkle in Time,” hits theaters March 9, 2018. Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Storm Reid (“12 Years a Slave”) star in the adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved sci-fi novel. She recently signed on to write and direct a five-part miniseries about the Central Park Five for Netflix.
