Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay brought a message of courage, creativity, and connection to CARIFESTA 15 on Monday night during a fireside chat that drew a standing ovation in Bridgetown.
Speaking with festival director Carol Roberts-Reifer, DuVernay shared her unlikely journey from a Hollywood publicist to one of the most recognised directors of her generation. “I didn’t pick up a camera until I was 32 years old,” she said. “Most filmmakers start in high school or film school. I was just a person who loved movies. But when you feel called, you lean into it.”
The director of Selma, 13th, and When They See Us urged Caribbean creatives to trust their instincts and take risks. “The best story is the story you want to tell, that you would do even if no one paid you,” she said. “You don’t need to know all the steps. Just stand up and begin.”
DuVernay also highlighted her company Array, which operates a studio, a free community cinema, and initiatives to diversify film crews. Her next focus, she revealed, is strengthening global connections between filmmakers outside the Hollywood system. “We’re all vibrant and independent, but disconnected. Once we connect globally, we can create dynamic art for the people, outside of corporate interests.”
The conversation touched on her Haitian roots, traced through research on Finding Your Roots. “I had no awareness growing up,” she admitted. “It’s sad we don’t have that knowledge. But now more African Americans are on the quest to reconnect.”
In a lively audience Q&A, DuVernay discussed her music choices, including Frank Ocean’s rendition of “Moon River” in When They See Us, and encouraged a Cayman Islands filmmaker struggling with funding to scale down and move forward. “Sometimes you have to get off the stage even when you don’t know all the steps,” she advised.
She also urged artists to embrace new technologies such as AI rather than fear them. “It’s here. The question is, are we going to be on the sidelines complaining, or are we going to get on the train and bend it in our direction?”
Closing the evening, DuVernay reminded the CARIFESTA audience of the transformative power of culture. “Narrative change is powerful. Film is not just about entertainment. It’s about justice, dignity, and connection.”
The session was one of the “Big Conversations” at CARIFESTA 15, which continues in Barbados through August 31.
Read the full feature here.
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