Nominated at the 2015 Oscars for Best Picture with her Martin Luther King biopic Selma, director Ava DuVernay never shied away from sharing insights of her young but significant career.
Summary: Drive & Passion Keynote | Ava Duvernay’s Creative Spark | Ava On History | Duvernay’s Cast on Working With Her | DuVernay on Representation & Legacy
Invited in October 2013 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) theatre in Los Angeles for the Film Independent Forum, Selma director Ava DuVernay delivered a memorable and honest speech on filmmaking.
A former successful film publicist who directed her indie first feature I Will Follow in 2011 after the 2008 documentary This Is the Life, DuVernay learned valuable lessons while starting a new career in her thirties.
Such a shift came with with necessary mistakes, hurdles to overcome, revelations on the right filmmaking attire and dealing with a drive to succeed so strong that it can sometimes go along with desperation.
How do you turn your life around, stop focusing on what you need, make things happen with what you’ve got and turn that desperation into passion once and for all?
The Oscar-nominated Selma director shares her journey in a way that will resonate not only with filmmakers, but most creatives at various stages of their careers as well.
Watch her keynote:
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Ava Duvernay’s Creative Spark
A year before her Best Picture nomination at the 2015 Oscars, Ava DuVernay collaborated with the The Academy for the video series Creative Sparks which offers glimpses in the creatives processes of filmmakers. Walking through Los Angeles and revisiting her favorite creativity-related places from bookstores to theaters and shares what sparks her imagination.
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Ava On History
Promoting the wide theatrical release of Selma on the Daily Show in January 2015, Duvernay addresses the portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson and realistic, flawed characters.
