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Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay Quotes

Filmmaker

Ava DuVernay is an American filmmaker recognized for her contributions to independent cinema, particularly for her films that delve into African American history and culture. Born on August 24, 1972, DuVernay has directed several significant films, including 'Middle of Nowhere' and '13th', which have been praised for their narrative depth and social commentary.

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Famous Ava DuVernay Quotes

“I cobbled together that film-school experience for myself. I didn't ever sit in a classroom: I would watch DVD commentaries of directors. I was like, "...So, this person is just going to walk me through every single thing they did to make this movie? And it's on every movie ever made?!" All that's to say: There are different ways to learn.”

Film Filmmaking Film Industry Director Directing Making Movies Movies Movie Business

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Black people loving and losing is something we don’t see enough of. We’re always in these heightened situations like something big is happening, something funny or something violent. And you know what? Sometimes we die of breast cancer or a broken heart. Things happen that are just not being explored cinematically. It’s time we reinvigorated that type of film.”

People Knows Heart Sometimes Enough Bigs Happens Film Dies Black Situation Broken Type Losing Happenings Cancer Things Happen Violent Breasts Black People Like Something Breast Cancer

Author:Ava DuVernay

“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.”

Ifs Want Kind Littles Made Film Certain Bits Black Little Bit Folks Staring Filmmaker Black Women Sleeves Time Will Tell

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I love making films. I'm happiest when I'm doing it. For me, the fear is not being able to make the next thing and not being able, as a woman filmmaker and as a filmmaker of color, to put together the resources to make another thing.”

Able Together Film Next Color Resources Filmmaker Love Making

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Roger Ebert was such a champion of underrepresented filmmakers. He was a very big deal to me. It shows the power of critics. People who write about film, like you, can really affect the confidence of a young filmmaker. He did that for me, so it was such a pleasure to have an opportunity to talk about Roger in the movie.”

People Writing Shows Bigs Film Young Opportunity Pleasure Deals Like You Critics Champion Filmmaker Big Deal Roger

Author:Ava DuVernay

“There's never been a film with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the center released in theaters. Ever! One does not exist. You've only seen tele-films and stage plays about him. Yet, we have big screens biopics about all kinds of people. So, I think it's only right that there be a full-length feature about Dr. King. I don't think there could be enough of them, but there should be at least one. So, here it is!”

People Thinking Should Kind Doe Enough Play Bigs Film Stage Kings Theater Screens All Kinds Features Length Drs Luther Big Screen Dr Martin Luther King Stage Play

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Ignore the glass ceiling and do your work. If you're focusing on the glass ceiling, focusing on what you don't have, focusing on the limitations, then you will be limited. My way was to work, make my short... make my documentary... make my small films... use my own money... raise money myself... and stay shooting and focused on each project.”

Ifs Way Use Film My Own Projects Raises Glasses Focused My Way Limitation Shooting Documentaries Ceilings Glass Ceiling

Author:Ava DuVernay

“It sounds kind of flighty, filmmaker-y, but I believe films are a piece of art. They are meant to be what they're meant to be, and sometimes the artist is informed by the film of what it needs to be.”

Needs Believe Kind Art Sometimes Film Artist I Believe Sound Pieces Filmmaker Meant To Be

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I just remember not having access to films as a young person who loved films but living in Compton.”

Persons Remember Film Young Access Compton

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I just remember not having access to films as a young person who loved films but living in Compton. In order to see the film, I had to get on the bus and travel quite a ways to get to an arthouse theater - none of which you're gonna find in black and brown communities - to see anything that was outside of what the studios fed me, and that's not the case anymore.”

Way Persons Remember Film Young Order Black Community Cases Theater Studios Access Brown Feds Bus Compton

Author:Ava DuVernay

“For film, you know, the Tarantinos and Nolans of the world who are very focused on a certain kind of film aesthetic and a certain kind of presentation, to be honest, that comes from a place of privilege. It comes from a place of always having access to such, but when you ain't never - you can't see it because you can't even get to it.”

Knows World Kind Film Certain Honest Privilege Focused Access Being Honest Aesthetic Presentation Tarantino Nolan

Author:Ava DuVernay

“All these women had directed movies that I loved on the film festival circuit, but couldn't get a job making television. That's how locked down TV is.”

Jobs Film Television Tvs Locked Festivals Circuits Film Festivals

Author:Ava DuVernay

“It was easy for me to show the films to the studio and the network and say, "This is who I'm hiring."”

Shows Film Easy Studios Hiring

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I know when we were making the film [ Age Of Trump] that we knew that there was going to be some kind of radical change coming on the horizon. That's why it was important for us to get it out before the election.”

Knows Kind Important Age Film Trump Election Radical Horizon Radical Change Changes Coming

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I think there are pieces of the film [Age Of Trump] that are even more emotionally resonant and more vital to talk about than ever.”

Thinking Age Film Pieces Trump

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I mean, if this [film Age of Trump] wasn't on Netflix, it would be playing at some lovely art house theater on the West Side once or twice or for a week or maybe two weeks if I was lucky and then it would go away, and I'd be lucky if I could sell the DVDs off my website.”

Ifs Mean Art Two Would Be Age Film House Sides Week Trump Lucky Theater Sells West Lovely If I Could Going Away Website Two Weeks Dvds Netflix West Side

Author:Ava DuVernay

“More people have seen 13th on Netflix than have seen all my films put together between the Sundance winners and Selma, and the whole international distribution of film.”

People Whole Together Film International Winner Distribution Netflix Sundance

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Netflix represents, as well as all the streaming services, something that I've been talking about being so important to inclusive voices around films.”

Wells Important Film Voice Talking Streaming Netflix

Author:Ava DuVernay

“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.”

Way Feels Done Film Share Traditional Gatekeepers

Author:Ava DuVernay

“A lot of work was done with one of my best friends and editor, Spencer Averick, who's edited everything I've ever made from the very, very first documentaries; the very, very first films I made were docs, so we learned the form together.”

Firsts Made Done Together Film Form Editors Documentaries My Best Friend Edited

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I know how to make films and now I'm able to make films with the resources and the tools that match my imagination, and what filmmaker doesn't want to do that? I feel very fortunate to have that. I don't take it for granted.”

Knows Want Feels Able Film Imagination Know How Resources Tools Granted Fortunate Filmmaker My Imagination

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I think it's a wonderful time to be a black woman who makes films. It's a good time to be an artist period. Traditional models of making and consuming art are breaking down and being rebuilt. I find that to be incredibly exciting as a filmmaker and film marketer.”

Thinking Art Film Artist Black Wonderful Exciting Filmmaker Good Times Black Women Breaking Down

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I'm making and marketing my films, by any means necessary, and enjoying life while I do so.”

Mean Film Enjoy Marketing Enjoy Life

Author:Ava DuVernay

“When I'm marketing a film, whether its mine or someone else's, I work with a great deal of strategy and elbow grease until the job is done. It's pretty simple really. I just dive in and start digging. Yes, I'm fortunate to know the in's and out's of a true studio-level marketing campaign. But really, anyone who is diligent and well-researched can pull it off too. Its easier for me, but it doesn't make it impossible for others.”

Done Film Simple Impossible Strategy Marketing Grease

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Filmmakers need to realize that their job isn't done when they lock picture. We must see our films through. Studios no longer do this for a large percentage of films. The odds that your film will get a major campaign are dim these days. So you must find and nurture your own audience and make sure your film has a life.”

Done Film Realizing Audience Filmmaker Nurture

Author:Ava DuVernay

“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.”

Thinking Made Important Different Film Girl Black Perspective Reflection Interpretation Black Women Different Perspective

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I thing for female filmmakers a big issue is making their second and third films. You see the statistics, and the dropoff on the second and third [films] , are dire.”

Bigs Film Issues Female Thirds Filmmaker Statistics

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Filmmakers need to realize that their job isn't done when they lock picture. We must see our films through.”

Needs Done Jobs Film Realizing Filmmaker Locks

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I didn't start out thinking that I could ever make films. I started out being a film lover, loving films, and wanting to have a job that put me close to them and close to filmmakers and close to film sets.”

Thinking Jobs Film Lovers Filmmaker Film Set

Author:Ava DuVernay

“All the films I do, I write the scripts, I direct.”

Writing Film Direct Scripts

Author:Ava DuVernay

“Film school was a privilege I could not afford.”

School Film Privilege Film School

Author:Ava DuVernay

“I didn't go to film school. I got my education on the set as a niche publicist in the film industry.”

School Film Industry Niche Film Industry Film School Publicists

Author:Ava DuVernay

“When I'm marketing a film, whether its mine or someone else's, I work with a great deal of strategy and elbow grease until the job is done.”

Done Jobs Film Deals Mines Strategy Marketing Elbows Grease

Author:Ava DuVernay

“You know, often films that are deemed positive, nobody wants to see them.”

Knows Want Film

Author:Ava DuVernay

“All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who are creative to do what they need to do without having institutions block their art.”

People Needs Art Film Creative Doors Models Institutions Wide Traditional Block Publishing

Author:Ava DuVernay

“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.”

Men Mean Film Black White White Man Black Women

Author:Ava DuVernay

About the Author

Born: August 24, 1972
Known for: Filmmaker
Quotes: 112

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