Ava DuVernay speaks at SXSW: 'Studios aren't lining up to make films about black protagonists'


Ava DuVernay delivered a keynote speech at SXSW on Saturday, and afterward, she answered questions about her work directing the Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic Selma. One question: Why did it take so many decades for Hollywood to tell King's story?
"The studios aren't lining up to make films about black protagonists, black people being autonomous and independent," DuVernay answered, as reported by Variety.
In a lighter moment, the director described her experience screening the film for President and Mrs. Obama at the White House, then staying for dinner.
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"I think it might have been because I was rolling with Oprah," DuVernay said of the dining invitation.
Read more from DuVernay's keynote, via Variety.
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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