Ava DuVernay ~ Film Director (Selma)

 

Ava DuVernay directing film, Selma. ~ Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Ava DuVernay directing film, Selma. ~ Photo by Atsushi Nishijima/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Ava DuVernay…where have you been all my life??

This dynamic woman understands something my friend and editor A.J. Verdelle preaches all the time: Clarity is not negotiable. In her recent Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, DuVernay was very clear about her artistic vision for the film, Selma: with regard to Oyelowo’s portrayal of King, it was never to be about mimicry; and as for the “facts” of history, she is more interested in the truth.

We’ve been on the planet long enough to know history is not everything that happened, it’s everything that was written down and we must always—always—consider the source.

This is a quick post to shine a light on the woman behind the work and to set a few things straight. There’s quite a buzz around a lot of things.

Here’s the truth (which we got wrong in my last post) about why King’s original speeches weren’t used in the film: DuVernay told Terry Gross that the rights to the speeches are held by another filmmaker and they didn’t ask for rights because it did not fit their $20 million budget.

DuVernay was co-writer of the screenplay but did not get the credit because it was in original writer, George Pelecano’s contract to retain that right. That’s OK. In the end she also became the speech writer for her Dr. King and those speeches capture the power and spirit of the man and fit remarkably well with the vision to not mimic the icon.

Below is a nice treat: a chance to see and hear cast members, producers and director ~

Published on Dec 18, 2014: The full press conference for Selma with David Oyelowo, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth, Common, Tom Wilkinson, Dede Gardner, Carmen Egojo, Andrew Holland and director Ava DuVernay:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdgVHByC9ek?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

0 comments

  1. What a great story, to get to know Ana DuVernay and the actors in what may be the most important film of our time. Initially I was very taken by it but over the days it stays with me, I think about it constantly, it brings me back to the time in my life when I felt righteous, that if I were religious I would have felt I was doing God;s work. And the more I dwell on the film the more I am convinced it is one of the most important films ever made. To hear the film maker and understand how she did what she did, to portray the REAL Dr. King, not what would be some dopey Hollywood version of him, to show the world how incredibly human he was making the same foolish mistakes so many of us make and in his frailties we saw him as a man, a real man, and it really let you see what a great man he was and what a human man he was. Most of what was revealed in the film was well known within the Movement and initially my reaction was kind of telling family secrets but I think those frailties were so important to the film, to show Dr. King as a real fighter for justice who was also fighting his own personal battles.

  2. This was an AMAZING TREAT!!!!!!! A MUST see — no wonder the movie was so great – look who made it and what they wanted to bring to it and how they all see the parallel to today’s struggles —WOWf

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