Ava DuVernay Opens Up About Diveristy and Women In Film — “I Had No Idea A Black Woman Could Be A Director”

It’s hard to believe that Ava DuVernay, the Oscar nominee for Selma and 13th, wasn’t a filmmaker until she was in her 30’s. But now, the Queen Sugar director is dedicated to making sure girls from all backgrounds around the world have the opportunities she didn’t.

In celebration of the United Nations International Day of the Girl, DuVernay welcomes young, international female directors as part of the new series of VR documentaries called New Realities.

A gesture very much similar to the one where she only hired female directors to work on the first season of Queen Sugar.

New Realities, presented by Lenovo and Girl Up, the gender equality initiative of the United Nations Foundation, will follow the individual journey of 10 young women from Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the U.K., and the U.S.

DuVernay, 48, a producer for the series, said the experience made her reminisce on her roots.

“It makes me think about everything that I missed out on because I didn’t become a filmmaker until I was in my 30’s. At the age of these girls are, I had no concept that a black woman could be a director. I had no idea that a woman could be a director. I’d never seen it,” DuVernay said.

DuVernay hopes the series, which is set to air Oct. 11, will motivate the future generation of female directors.

“The fact that you have girls that are young, these girls are just getting started and are not just making films, they’re making films in 360 reality. It’s really incredible.”