Ava DuVernay knows the power of a fearless woman.
The director, screenwriter and all-around badass filmmaker recently sat down with Glamour for the magazine’s November issue to discuss her new series “Queen Sugar.” The show, which is co-produced by Oprah, is another example of DuVernay’s active push for greater diversity and female-driven narratives in Hollywood. (And make some all-around good TV, of course.)
DuVernay told Glamour that it can be challenging to carve out space in Hollywood as a woman, because Hollywood was created by and for men.
“It’s a patriarchy, headed by men and built for men. To pretend like Hollywood is anything other than that is disingenuous,” she said. “#OscarsSoWhite is trendy, but for women filmmakers and filmmakers of color, it’s not a trend. 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.”
DuVernay added that the strength and confidence she possesses to go after what she wants comes from her mother:
My mom always told me that I could. 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.
We could not agree more, Ava.
Head over to Glamour to read the rest of DuVernay’s interview.
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