26 Quotes by Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is an American filmmaker, director, and screenwriter known for her powerful and socially conscious films and television series. She first gained recognition for her critically acclaimed documentary "13th" about the US prison system and has since directed a number of other award-winning projects, including the historical drama "Selma", the fantasy adventure "A Wrinkle in Time", and the drama series "Queen Sugar". DuVernay is also a prominent activist and advocate for racial and gender equality in Hollywood and beyond. (Bio)
Ava DuVernay Quotes
Creativity is an energy. It's a precious energy, and it's something to be protected. (Meaning)
If your dream only includes you, it's too small. (Meaning)
Be passionate and move forward with gusto every single hour of every single day until you reach your goal.
Figure out what you need to do to be the heroine of your own story.
Time will tell ... whether folks want to point and stare at the black woman filmmaker who made a certain kind of film, and pat her on the back, or if they want to actually roll up the sleeves and do a little bit of work so that there can be more of me coming through.
There’s something very important about films about black women and girls being made by black women. It’s a different perspective. It is a reflection as opposed to an interpretation, and I think we get a lot of interpretations about the lives of women that are not coming from women.
Don't wait for permission to do something creative.
If you're doing something outside of dominant culture there's not an easy place for you. You will have to do it yourself.
When you're in your lane, there's no traffic.
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.
Stop asking, start doing.
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.
Usually, you have two people in a scene, and in the history of cinema the hero is most likely going to be the white guy. And the other guy is his friend who is carrying the bag or whatever, and you're not going to light for that guy.
Because my mom always told me that I could. From a very early age, I felt comfortable leading.
The traditional ways to make a film, the traditional ways to share a film, have all collapsed. There are no gatekeepers, per se, any more, and anything can be done. Truly, I feel that.
I make films about Black women and it doesn't mean that you can't see them as a Black man, doesn't mean that he can't see them as a white man or she can't see them as a white woman.
If you have the ability to do something, you should do it.
I really admire Werner Herzog and Spike Lee. They're amazing documentarians. If you took away all the narratives, they'd just be amazing documentarians.
I didn't go to film school. I got my education on the set as a niche publicist in the film industry.
Some black filmmakers will say, "I don't want to be considered a black filmmaker, I'm a filmmaker." I don't think that. I'm a black woman filmmaker.
These are dark times for a lot of people who believe differently than our incoming administration [of Donald Trump], but there's also joy there, and there's also something in unifying around the things that we do believe in.
At the end of the day, I had to remain dedicated to historical accuracy.
When I look in the mirror, I see a woman who is happy.
I'm a huge Dirty Dancing fan. I feel like I should be reading [William] Shakespeare, but I'm watching Baby not be in a corner.
I'm making and marketing my films, by any means necessary, and enjoying life while I do so.
[ Hollywood] is a patriarchy, headed by men and built for men.
― Ava DuVernay Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
