Ava DuVernay Reflects on Hiring Only Women Directors to Helm "Queen Sugar" -- Exclusive On-Location Interview

DuVernay directed the twohour pilot in 2016 and now directs the series39 finale In between she made good on her promise to exclusively hire women directors for the series39 entire run By the end there will have been 88 episodes collectively helmed by 42 womenInvite job candidates to apply live during theamp160Media and Advertising Communityamp8217samp160Black Talent Outreach Week at MediaVillagecom and AdvancingDiversityorg October 1720 Register Here amp160quotIt39s important to help other womenquot DuVernay explains quotIf we39re in a space and we39re the only ones there we need to realize that that39s not success It39s just not If you look around the room and you39re satisfied because you39re at the table and no one else is there you are experiencing a quarter of the success that you should feelquotTrue success is when the room is transformed she adds quotbecause you39re there not as a token but as an entryway to more people being fully included That39s what success feels likequotHere on St Joseph Plantation in midJuly it39s 107 degrees with the heat index and feels as if hell is blowing air kisses While everyone else mops their face DuVernay39s makeup remains smudgefree and her demeanor unflappable If she is breaking a sweat in her chambray shirt and socks pulled over pants to keep biting insects at bay it doesn39t show as she speaks with MediaVillage during an exclusive set visit for the filming of these final scenesAlthough finales can be tearful affairs DuVernay is sanguine quotI feel satisfiedquot she says quotI39ve never worked on anything creatively for this long and it39s been everything that I could have asked for I wanted for nothing creatively Tight budgets and all that good stuff But the bottom line is it was my vision from start to finish And how many people could say thatquotNot bad for a series DuVernay thought would not make it to a second season never mind seven It all started when she visited Oprah Winfrey at her Maui home after the two met on Selma Winfrey had read Natalie Baszile39s novel Queen Sugar and kept encouraging DuVernay to read it She thought it would make a fabulous series and that DuVernay was the person to bring it to lifeThe series follows the three adult Bordelon children who return to the family farm when the patriarch dies His death brings them closer and back to their roots The Bordelon farm is set at St Joseph39s Plantation about an hour outside of New Orleans where ninefoot high sugar beet crops thrive in the muggy climate It is land that feels hallowedThe significance is lost on no one that is on this site A Black woman is the boss over hundreds most of them people of color in a location where slaves once labored Queen Sugar chronicles the challenges faced by a Black family fighting to hold onto this land The Bordelons have dealt with family feuds death birth the pandemic and the racial reckoning Through it all this strong loving family is the one constantAnd the one constant behind the scenes was that a woman always called quotActionquotRoughly half of the 42 women who directed on Queen Sugar were firsttime directors of scripted TV Some had directed indie projects but could not break through on television One such success is showrunner and director Shaz BennettquotThe only reason I am here is because of Avaquot acknowledges Bennett a story editor on Bosch and a writer for The Glades quotShe gave me the opportunity She creates an environment for directors to succeedquotAs a dragonfly hovers beside her seemingly suspended by the heat Bennett considers why this set is different quotPeople talk about the female gazequot she says quotA quality to this show is very female and that starts with AvaquotThis set is more peaceful than many When DuVernay doesn39t like something she doesn39t yell She hops up quietly talks to the actors then returns to her perch She is reassuring decisive and positive but not overly maternal There39s no question who39s the boss and she apologizes when she cuts the line for the gelato truck she provided on this big dayA couple of behindthescenes men a gaffer and the set decorator also credit DuVernay for giving them their chance But it is the women DuVernay was determined to help break through She reflects on her mentors her mom and Nina Shaw an attorney who advised DuVernay about the entertainment business when she was a publicistThere39s also the mentor who showed her what an inclusive and excellent leader looks likequotWhat Oprah really taught me was behave the same way behind the scenes as you do in front of the scenesquot she says quotIf you39re going to be a person of integrity out front and everyone39s going to think you are that you have to do the same thing in back and sometimes that39s uncomfortable because you can get away with stuff when no one39s looking You can treat people a certain way in private You can cut corners on the way you treat the crew You can pay someone less You can talk behind people39s backs You can do all those things no one will knowquotBut knowing Oprah she never does thatquot DuVernay continues quotWho you see in front is who you see through every aspect of her life I just thought 39Wow what a person39 as I really got to know her And so I39ve tried to be that wayquotBy all accounts she succeeded Women who had talent but not opportunity now have experienceBeing a mentor has also taught her how to manage expectations quotIt39s intentional to try to give people opportunities that were given to mequot DuVernay says quotAnd I39m aggressive about doing that But I have had to learn to detach myself from the outcome because everyone is not going to thrive in the opportunity Everyone is not going to take the opportunity and create another opportunityquotThat39s ego to say 39I39m going to give you this and I expect these things39quot she asserts quotYou have to give it freely It39s like a seed that you plant that you walk away from You trust that it39s going to be watered by the rain and it39s going to get sun and you39ll come back and maybe it39s a weed and maybe it39s a flower And today in this week that I39ve been back you see so many beautiful flowers have blossomed and that feels gorgeous But if I came back and there were weeds that39s okay That39s been a learning processquotThe season seven premiere of Queen Sugar will be telecast Tuesday September 6 at 8 pm ETClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Ava DuVernay Reflects on Hiring Only Women Directors to Helm "Queen Sugar" -- Exclusive On-Location Interview

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