Ava DuVernay Says 14th Saved Her and "Hollywood Is Over"
During London Film Festival Speech, Filmmaker Receives Love and Praise, Addresses Major Mergers, MAGA and More
Ava DuVernay was spotted in the British capital on Monday, taking the stage at the 70th London Film Festival (LFF), which runs until October 18, to talk about her career, her latest documentary, 14, and the state of Hollywood. This filmmaker was praised and loved by appreciative fans.
Asked how producers can finance films like his, he said crowdfunding is a key opportunity to explore. "You put your film out there, and there are all kinds of apps and sites that allow like-minded people to do that," DuVernay said. "But [it's about] also just asking people, getting 20 people to invest $5,000 — a good amount to say or make something. And there are ways to get that money back, whether it's taking the film to different film festivals or YouTube or selling it. That's what we'll come back to."
DuVernay then emphasized how alternative methods of financing independent and other films are becoming more important. “Hollywood is over,” he argued. "Did you guys hear? It's over. They're buying each other, they're falling apart. Everything's changed. They're selling a lot of studios. The idea of going to Sundance and getting a three-picture deal from Harvey Weinstein? He's in jail."
"Everything has changed in the last 10 years, even since I've been making [films and TV shows]," DuVernay concluded. "What do we do now?" What can we create now that is new, that serves more kinds of people and more kinds of stories?” And he shared that more and more, it will be about artists and audiences connecting directly without a middleman or company bringing them together.
Asked what keeps him from continuing to make political films, the creative cited alarm and urgency about possible further erosions of democracy and human rights, and the fear that President Donald Trump and ICE have created in the United States. 14 shows "how we got to where MAGA can be in power," he said.
How does DuVernay stay hopeful? “Date is the key,” he shared. "I just think there have been worse times. "My ancestors and the people before me, even 15 years ago, went through much harder times."
He continued: This movie saved me in many ways. ... The anger that I feel and the fear that I feel, I could really pour it out any day on the 14th. I just finished the film two weeks ago, and so I don't really know what I'm going to do from here."
The Emmy, BAFTA, Peabody, and other award-winning writer, director, and producer spoke about his career, including his latest documentary, Netflix's 14th, which puts the Trump administration's policies (including efforts to end or limit the 14th Amendment's guarantee of civil rights) into a troubling historical context.
He described the 14th as a look at 'how we got to where MAGA can be in power.'
How does he stay hopeful? “Well, history is key,” shared DuVernay. "I just think there have been worse times. "My ancestors and the people before me, even 15 years ago, went through much harder times."
Teasing DuVernay's appearance, LFF noted, “She's made seven TV series, including the acclaimed When We Are Seen and the history-making Queen Sugar. In film, Ava DuVernay has proven she's at ease directing endearing family adventures, such as the magical A Wrinkle in Time, as she embraces portraits of US history, including Selma and Origin. Documentary 13 He asked who would be placed in the cage. "His new film The 14th, which will be screened at the festival, asks who counts."
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