Ava DuVernay isn’t bothered by the label, ‘black woman filmmaker.’ As a matter of fact, she’s embracing the title. DuVernay is featured in AOL’s MAKERS series, and recently discussed how she wants to be defined in the industry.
[Related: Oprah and Ava DuVernay Team Up for OWN Series]
“I know and I’ve heard of people saying, ‘I don’t want to be defined as a woman filmmaker’ or ‘I don’t want to be defined as a black filmmaker,’ all good with me, but I want to be defined as a ‘black woman filmmaker,’ because that’s the lens through which I’m working,†DuVernay said in the video.
“That is my gaze. I’m proud of it. I don’t feel like it’s any less or limiting. I’m a black woman filmmaker, and my films are just as valid as the white man filmmaker and whoever else,†she added.
DuVernay is an acclaimed award-winning director and writer best known for her film, “Selma,” about black voting rights in the 60s, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. She is also the founder of AFFRM, the African American Film Festival Releasing Movement, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, along with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
[Below: Watch her Maker’s video]