When we say there's a dearth of women directors, it's not that there's a lack of women who direct: it's a lack of opportunities and access for women to direct and be supported in that.
Ava DuVernay
Related There's no question there needs to be higher-paying opportunities for women. It's not that i... PATRICK WHITESELL I think that we're in a really amazing time, where there are really a lot of really fantastic fe... WHITNEY CUMMINGS Women's vulnerability around money is hardly exclusive to Africa. Throughout the world, women st... ANN COTTON I'm not saying it's easy, and it's definitely harder for women. Because there is definit... MARY STEENBURGEN Comedy can be, especially in a writer's room, really aggressive, kind of a very male-dominated r... ELLEN DEGENERES The lack of women directors is a sad fact of life. Kathryn Bigelow's thrilling Best Director win... LYNDA OBST There are so few women in general who aren't completely threatened and confused by other women... SANDRA BERNHARD There's a lot of thought in art. People get to talk about important things. There's a lot of... STEVE MARTIN I'm still a big 'Grey's Anatomy' fan. BROOKE ELLIOTT I used to watch 'Grey's Anatomy' pretty religiously. ERINN HAYES With women empowerment and women coming together, it's not about being better than the guys or w... BECKY LYNCH All issues are women's issues - and there are several that are just women's business. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON There are many women who came before me who didn't really have the same opportunities that I hav... JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE You're allowed to make things for women on television and there's not like... you don't ... CALLIE KHOURI It's for all the women who embrace my aesthetic, but can't afford a Vera Wang dress. If wome... VERA WANG There are some people who still feel threatened by strong women. That's their problem. It's ... GLORIA ALLRED These archetypal older women in movies can sometimes make my skin crawl. It's about the one dime... PATRICIA CLARKSON I think that, a lot of times in Hollywood pictures, the reality, the messy reality of women's li... HALEY BENNETT They say that women dress for other women, but I don't think that's entirely true. If we wan... RACHEL NICHOLS Most women would say they relate to 'Hedda Gabler' - there's a part of her in them. Ibse... ANNETTE BENING I am drawn to women who are independent and creative, which is problematic because it's a strugg... MARILYN MANSON I think women are amazing for being able to show what they feel. I admire women who do. I think it... GAL GADOT It's ingrained in people's minds that it's a typecast and a stereotype that women are ju... JULIA MICHAELS This is a generalization, but I think women's brains are more accessible to ideas and difference... ALBERT BROOKS Ava DuVernay is my personal Phil Jackson. She's a perfect coach. OMAR DORSEY There's a part of bohemia I love. The lack of prejudice, the lack of aggression, I love the lack... PETER MULLAN There's an appetite for vigour in films. The camera loves a bit of movement. Movement is usually... JOANNA LUMLEY It's not uncommon in South Korea for a building to not have a women's bathroom. YI SO-YEON There are certain men and women who, from the minute they step in front of a camera, that's exac... F. MURRAY ABRAHAM I respect women like Gloria Steinem who paved the way. But when you say 'feminist' now, ther... MEGYN KELLY There's a general sense that women are more relaxed and less defensive in comedy than they used ... JO BRAND There's not a lot of pretty, young female artists that's out. It's a lot of talent out t... TYGA I've said this before, and I'm sure there are people who disagree, but I feel like one of th... AISHA TYLER You're allowed to make things for women on television, and there's not like... you don't... CALLIE KHOURI For women who have children, the economic difficulty of sustaining a life as an artist maybe makes i... ELIZABETH PRICE If there is a thread that unites all of our work, whether it's in Iowa or whether it's in Ma... MARTIN O'MALLEY There's no big splashy renaissance in Italian films. We have good young actors and directors. Wh... VALERIA GOLINO I think that for a lot of women there's a subtle but unfortunately effective discouragement of w... JENNIFER DOUDNA Women comedy is different than men comedy. Guy comedy is very aggressive, it's about insulting e... PAUL FEIG When it comes to two of the big social earthquakes in the last fifty years - which are the gay movem... BILL CONDON There's something very important about films about black women and girls being made by black wom... AVA DUVERNAY It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect ... BRENDAN BEHAN I think masculinity is bravado against the mystery of the universe of women. It's just a fear of... K. D. LANG Women over 30 are usually somebody's mother in a 'Porky's' movie, being silly and be... RITA MORENO For starters, that’s a rather simple principle of Time Travel right there – and according to the... CHRISTINA ENGELA Women's strength, women's industry, women's wisdom are humankind's greatest untapped... MICHELLE BACHELET It's not fair that there aren't very many juicy or varied roles for women. ROSANNA ARQUETTE It's a controversial issue: many feminists reasonably worry that by taking the concentration off... REBECCA TRAISTER There are some fantastic roles for women and women of a certain age on television, whether it's ... MEGAN FOLLOWS There's a fascinating school of thought that some women are relationship addicts. You get really... PHOEBE SNOW It's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginat... A. S. BYATT I always say to women, 'Take advantage of the fact that you're in the minority, don't se... CAROL LEIFER There are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively impacts not just ... SACHIN TENDULKAR I'm so sick of hearing how there's no strong roles for women. I don't care about strong ... MARTHA PLIMPTON The majority of small-holder farmers in Africa are women and, in urban areas, you're primarily l... ERTHARIN COUSIN I've been trying to find women writers for my staff for a while now and I have three women on my... ELLEN DEGENERES I've come to learn that there is a real difference between men and women. It's genetic. SHARON GLESS I like to show ordinary people reacting to extraordinary circumstances. It's an opportunity for ... SUSAN ISAACS Let's just start with the word 'diva.' It is obviously a sexist slight - a term that is ... CAMPBELL BROWN I'm proud to say that I was that guy playing the character of Dr. Burke on 'Grey's Anato... ISAIAH WASHINGTON There's nothing women can't do. There's absolutely nothing we can't do. We're fa... BETTY WILLIAMS Comedy's really about not being afraid to look terrible, look ugly, look silly, make fun of your... AISHA TYLER The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her... C. JOYBELL C. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for ... GLORIA STEINEM It's not enough to be a woman. You have to care about women's issues. And women's issues... JONI ERNST You hear younger women say, 'I don't believe I'm a feminist. I believe women should have... GAIL COLLINS Women always go through the door first. Even ardent feminists would admit it's nice. It's no... LYLE LOVETT There's a fundamental difference between how often men remember to say 'I love you' and ... BRETT YOUNG I just think that there's so much judgment in the world, whether it's coming from women in g... HILARY DUFF Every woman in this world wears a little sparkle, some in their dress, and some in their eyes. SHAHLA KHAN I think that's the phenomenon of our time is that a lot of women keep themselves in good shape b... STOCKARD CHANNING I don't like how women's bodies are Page 3 news. I just don't think that's big news.... ELIZA DOOLITTLE When anything goes, it's women who lose. CAMILLE PAGLIA GamerGate is really a sexist temper tantrum. That's kind of a silly, funny way of putting it, bu... ANITA SARKEESIAN When I started researching history in the 1960s, a lot of women about whom I've subsequently wri... ALISON WEIR I have come to understand that in order to effectively advance women's rights, we need to galvan... ZAINAB SALBI Feminism is just an idea. It's a philosophy. It's about the equality of women in all realms.... ROXANE GAY Yes, it's a man's world, but that's all right because they're making a total mess of... CHER It's lack that gives us inspiration. It's not fullness. RAY BRADBURY I think it's very important for both women and men to see women working in a variety of capaciti... MAGGIE HASSAN There's still a narrower band of acceptable behavior for women than men. SANDRA E. PETERSON To talk about balance, it's easier to talk about what's out of balance. And I think anytime ... RICKY WILLIAMS It's the kind of clothes that mothers and daughters can wear, in terms of concept... It's no... RALPH LAUREN Women are the nourishing power of the Universe. Whoever has deep respect for women of the world, wil... AMIT RAY Canada definitely has a strong program in women's boxing, and we're showing that women are c... MANDY BUJOLD Women have been trained in our culture and society to ask for what we want instead of taking what we... AVA DUVERNAY Oh all the time when Victoria Wood and I did our series. There were people asking 'Can women be ... JULIE WALTERS You need mystery. You actually do. I think that's what foreign women, French women in particular... JASON CLARKE There's the same percentage of genius happening in both genders, but there's less women writ... DAN HARMON There's something real in women's intuition. It's an accurate signpost for decision maki... JON VOIGHT There's so much hate that we direct externally that we forget we have our own psychos. But that&... CARL HIAASEN There's no lack of talent out there. I suspect there is a lack of creative guidance, and that wo... HAROLD PRINCE 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a human story, and women's rights are human rights, and it&... YVONNE STRAHOVSKI Every year there's five cop shows, five medical shows and five 'Law & Orders,' but w... BONNIE SOMERVILLE I always find Victoria's Secret models a bit weird. EDIE CAMPBELL I understand. I know about the women gathering at Lourdes, the visits worldwide. You are all staying... KAREN CLARK Marriage is a kind of prison for anyone who's miserable in it - men and women alike - and anyone... ADAM ROSS Women's books are kind of discriminated against. If a man writes a book about his family stories... ERICA JONG You know, there's nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. The... GINGER ROGERS People always say that pregnant women have a glow. And I say it's because you're sweating to... JESSICA SIMPSON
More Ava DuVernay
I want to be an old lady, with my cane, shouting, 'Action!' and 'Cut!' AVA DUVERNAY Filmmakers need to realize that their job isn't done when they lock picture. We must see our fil... AVA DUVERNAY We know there needs to be diversity in storytellers telling their own stories. I think there's a... AVA DUVERNAY The way that we're consuming what we watch. Netflix, binge-watching, destination agnostic were n... AVA DUVERNAY I am honored to be one of this year's Urbanworld ambassadors for the festival's 20th anniver... AVA DUVERNAY When we're talking about diversity, it's not a box to check. It is a reality that should be ... AVA DUVERNAY You could make the most beautiful film, and that weekend it's raining too hard on the East Coast... AVA DUVERNAY In documentaries, there's a truth that unfolds unnaturally, and you get to chronicle it. In narr... AVA DUVERNAY There's really no precedent for someone like me gaining clout in the space that I'm in - a b... AVA DUVERNAY I usually make films with $2 and a paper clip. AVA DUVERNAY I don't even really see sit-ins and marches as passive. I see them as quite assertive. I see tho... AVA DUVERNAY I think any black woman is a queen. It's just, do you know it? Do you see it in yourself? Do you... AVA DUVERNAY You gotta follow the white guys. Truly. They've got this thing wired. Too often, we live within ... AVA DUVERNAY For female directors, there's a whole other set of things we have to think about, particularly w... AVA DUVERNAY The consumer is deciding what they want to see and when and how, and filmmakers are more aware and a... AVA DUVERNAY I'm a big people watcher and a people talker. The beautiful thing about being an artist and a cr... AVA DUVERNAY Creativity is an energy. It's a precious energy, and it's something to be protected. A lot o... AVA DUVERNAY There can be a progression to the dream; there can be steps to it. When you dissect any successful p... AVA DUVERNAY With the Black Lives Matter movement, a lot of the focus is on the protest and dissent. I'm hopi... AVA DUVERNAY Oh, Diane Nash deserves her own film. Diane Nash is a freedom fighter who is still alive and kicking... AVA DUVERNAY To win Best Director at Sundance was beyond anything I could have imagined for myself. It's stil... AVA DUVERNAY Today, when you look at social media, you see that the narrative can be overtaken by people just fro... AVA DUVERNAY Art morphs with what's going on in the world. We say 'Ferguson'; we don't say 'M... AVA DUVERNAY I love community, I love to be around other people. I love to be around other people when everyone... AVA DUVERNAY Film is a mirror. I want to see more filmmakers. We all want to see ourselves. AVA DUVERNAY Every filmmaker imbues a movie with their own point of view. AVA DUVERNAY There's a big difference between the independent film world and the Hollywood film world, and I ... AVA DUVERNAY Film school was a privilege I could not afford. AVA DUVERNAY I didn't go to film school. I got my education on the set as a niche publicist in the film indus... AVA DUVERNAY I financed and made my own films from the start. My path has been autonomous and independent, so I d... AVA DUVERNAY There was a time when I was knocking on doors and concerned with being recognized in dominant cultur... AVA DUVERNAY We're told that independent film lovers... folks that are used to watching art house films, won&... AVA DUVERNAY 'Queen Sugar' is a drama about family. It's something that allows us to be ourselves and... AVA DUVERNAY Oprah Winfrey is a big role model for me from a business capacity and a creative capacity. She is an... AVA DUVERNAY Why do we always have to see black people in hindsight? Why are the Hollywood movies always historic... AVA DUVERNAY Be passionate and move forward with gusto every single hour of every single day until you reach your... AVA DUVERNAY There's been no major motion picture released by a studio, no independent motion picture, in the... AVA DUVERNAY A black woman making art is a disruptive act. Every story that I tell as a woman is a political act,... AVA DUVERNAY As long as you're in an environment where the worth of the project isn't based on the projec... AVA DUVERNAY All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it... AVA DUVERNAY I spent a whole 12 years helping other people tell their stories as a publicist, so just to be able ... AVA DUVERNAY I've been to Sundance eight times as a publicist and thought I was very prepared. I mean, who co... AVA DUVERNAY The best art is realized when you can share the experience of making of it and not just the presenta... AVA DUVERNAY The studios aren't lining up to make films about black protagonists, black people being autonomo... AVA DUVERNAY I think that if we really want to break it down, that non-black filmmakers have had many, many years... AVA DUVERNAY My interest as an artist is to illuminate the lives of black folks. I definitely am focused on films... AVA DUVERNAY Oh gosh, I'm completely allergic to historical dramas. Particularly those around the civil-right... AVA DUVERNAY Women have been trained in our culture and society to ask for what we want instead of taking what we... AVA DUVERNAY My next project is 'Venus Vs,' which is a documentary that follows tennis star Venus William... AVA DUVERNAY Artists should be free to create what we want. I believe there's a special value in work that is... AVA DUVERNAY Nonviolence is pretty ballsy, pretty advanced weaponry. AVA DUVERNAY I wish I could be the black woman Soderbergh, and put the camera on my shoulder and shoot beautifull... AVA DUVERNAY I like silence. Aesthetically, I feel strangled by the fast cutting and a wall of sound. And I think... AVA DUVERNAY I really admire Werner Herzog and Spike Lee. They're amazing documentarians. If you took away al... AVA DUVERNAY All black women aren't sassy, loud, difficult, or subservient. We are, in fact, very complex and... AVA DUVERNAY I want more girls to be able to see themselves behind the camera creating images we all enjoy, and I... AVA DUVERNAY If your dream is only about you, it's too small. AVA DUVERNAY There's something very important about films about black women and girls being made by black wom... AVA DUVERNAY It's not enough even to have one black Barbie... because black women are not a monolith. AVA DUVERNAY I made my first film when I was 35, so I firmly believe that you don't have to be one thing in l... AVA DUVERNAY I make films about black women and it doesn't mean that you can't see them as a black man, d... AVA DUVERNAY If you're doing something outside of dominant culture, there's not an easy place for you. Yo... AVA DUVERNAY oh, the heartbreakingly beautiful tender weight of being human. AVA. remember you are capable of the most powerful thing in the universe. you are capable of l... AVA. i swallowed the syllables of your name and i was full. AVA. i just want to be honest about my feelings without destroying everything. AVA. i am changing and i am loving change. AVA i am awake and alive and swollen and heavy with love. AVA i am changing and i am loving change. AVA. no one needs love from you more than you need love from you. love yourself first, AVA. i am soft again. there is water and it surrounds me. there is feeling and i can feel it. AVA. love yourself first, and you will always be in love. AVA. every choice i have ever made after you existed has been dependent on exactly how close i ... AVA. there's always been a little sadness inside my happiness. i've never been able to separat... AVA. and sadness clung to me because she did not know how to be alone. AVA. i'm so hooked on how your mind works, on what you notice, on everything that excites ... AVA you giver of light. you lover of love. you beautiful beautiful human being... AVA. do not let anyone in until they love you so fiercely, you have no defense against their lo... AVA. i am soft again. there is water and it surrounds me. there is feeling and i can feel it. AVA you have outgrown this skin. stop trying to hold it in. stop trying to hold it together. AVA. you wanted it all to make sense and you wanted the most complicated answer, but the answer... AVA. i am awake and alive and swollen and heavy with love. AVA. hold company with yourself so sacred that even when you are alone, you are whole. AVA. i'm so hooked on how your mind works, on what you notice, on everything that excites ... AVA. some people are so deep you fall into them and you never stop falling. AVA. you came in slowly like the fog and consumed me. AVA. i want so much to touch you where my hands cannot. AVA. we get brave. we move. we believe. we keep going. AVA. you giver of light. you lover of love. you beautiful beautiful human being... AVA everything i know about love is that it hurts and is almost always never returned the... AVA. we get brave. we move. we believe. we keep going. AVA i can't hold onto love. i'm not gentle enough. i always end up crushing the thi... AVA. the opening, the breaking, the falling apart is always so quick. the hurti... AVA. i open for you like a flower. i let you in like a new day. AVA everything i know about love is that it hurts and is almost always never returned the... AVA i took it off. i did not want to carry it with me anymore. AVA i took it off. i did not want to carry it with me anymore. AVA. i feel everything. i do not know how to un-feel and to not feel is to stop the sun. AVA Some people say Liz and I are whores, but we are saints. We do not hide our loves hypocritically, an... AVA GARDNER How could she just leave me here to live without her? I miss her so much. I love her. I want her to ... AVA DELLAIRA Deep down, I'm pretty superficial. AVA GARDNER You think you know someone, but that person always changes, and you keep changing, too. I understood... AVA DELLAIRA What I told you about saving people isn't true. You might think it is, because you might want someon... AVA DELLAIRA And maybe what growing up really means is knowing that you don't have to be just a character, going ... AVA DELLAIRA I think a lot of people want to be someone, but we are scared that if we try, we won't be as good as... AVA DELLAIRA God knows I've got so many frailties myself, I ought to be able to understand and forgive them in ot... AVA GARDNER Because once you're afraid of one thing, you can get scared of a lot of stuff. AVA DELLAIRA The truth is, honey, I've enjoyed my life. I've had a hell of a good time. AVA GARDNER We want to go home and see with our own eyes what the damage is before we decide if we're going to r... AVA SEVIN We heard they had an oil spill. Whether it got to our house, we don't know. AVA SEVIN We come here for meals and to see the people we've met from the different areas of New Orleans. We w... AVA SEVIN On Saturday, when the mayor told everyone to evacuate New Orleans, we got everything together and go... AVA SEVIN Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistak... AVA GARDNER After my screen test, the director clapped his hands gleefully and yelled: "She can't talk! She can'... AVA GARDNER I suffered, I really suffered, with all three of my husbands. And I tried damn hard with all three, ... AVA GARDNER I don't understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some sort of goddamn duty. ... AVA GARDNER I think the main reason my marriages failed is that I always loved too well but never wisely. AVA GARDNER What's the point? My face, shall we say, looks lived in. AVA GARDNER Some people say Liz and I are whores, but we are saints. We do not hide our loves hypocritically, an... AVA GARDNER I couldn't imagine a better place [Australia] for making a film on the end of the world. AVA GARDNER For the loot, honey, for the loot. AVA GARDNER I liked the darkness, the dusty bay window, the view over the grey, muddy harbour and the towering c... AVA BLOOMFIELD I took a deep, deep breath and held it in my core; kept it close behind my protruding, fleshless rib... AVA BLOOMFIELD Maybe, in the final analysis, they saw me as something I wasn't and I tried to turn them into someth... AVA GARDNER The numbers on the board don’t mean a thing, because for the first time in forever, I have somewhe... AVA DELLAIRA You know when you think you know someone? More than anyone in the world? You know you know them, bec... AVA DELLAIRA Deep down, I'm pretty superficial. AVA GARDNER I'm not going to make someone my priority, when I'm their option. AVA PORTER Sometimes your music sounds like there’s too much inside you. Maybe even you couldn’t get ... AVA DELLAIRA I have only one rule in acting - trust the director and give him heart and soul. AVA GARDNER When I lose my temper, honey, you can't find it any place. AVA GARDNER Hell, I suppose if you stick around long enough they have to say something nice about you. AVA GARDNER When he fell down the stairs, he told people he'd had a stroke. He was just pissed out of his skull.... AVA GARDNER But to me, they were beautiful, like their own constellation. AVA DELLAIRA But you said you love me. You don’t just leave after that. AVA DELLAIRA Emptiness felt like a living thing. A parasite growing in the center of your chest, somewhere behind... AVA JAE The most liberating moment, is the moment you finally let go. AVA HARRISON I think it's like when you lose something so close to you, it's like losing yourself. AVA DELLAIRA You are bravery to me. AVA DELLAIRA Sometimes your music sounds like there's too much inside of you. Maybe even you couldn't get it all ... AVA DELLAIRA I think that by beauty, you don't just mean something that's pretty. You mean something that makes u... AVA DELLAIRA You learned right away that applause sounds like love. AVA DELLAIRA May, I love you with everything I am. For so long, I just wanted to be like you. But I had to figure... AVA DELLAIRA We are each weird in a different way, but together, that's actually normal. AVA DELLAIRA Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistak... AVA GARDNER I have only one rule in acting--trust the director, and give him heart and soul. AVA GARDNER The truth will set you free, they say, but believe me, nothing will set you free. AVA FARMEHRI When you have to face up to the fact that marriage to the man you love is really over, that's very t... AVA GARDNER If beauty is truth, and truth is beauty, they are defined by each other, so how do we know the meani... AVA DELLAIRA I feel like I am drowning in memories. Everything is too bright. AVA DELLAIRA I think it’s like when you lose something so close to you, it’s like losing yourself. That’s w... AVA DELLAIRA The thing about traditions is that they hold up the shape of your memory. AVA DELLAIRA We do things sometimes because we feel so much inside of us, and we don’t notice how it affects so... AVA DELLAIRA It's sad when everyone knows you, but no one knows you. AVA DELLAIRA So maybe when we can say things, when we can write the words, when we can express how it feels, we a... AVA DELLAIRA I know that it can be hard to believe that someone loves you if you are afraid of being yourself, or... AVA DELLAIRA A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel, or not to f... AVA DELLAIRA I mean, words can't be good enough for a lot of things. But, you know, I guess we have to try. AVA DELLAIRA she walked like she belonged in a better world, AVA DELLAIRA Nirvana means freedom. Freedom from suffering. I guess some people would say that death is just that... AVA DELLAIRA I wish you could tell me where you are now. I mean, I know you’re dead, but I think there must be ... AVA DELLAIRA Sometimes when we say things, we hear silence. Or only echoes. Like screaming from inside. And that�... AVA DELLAIRA Truth is beautiful, no matter what the truth is. Even if it's scary or bad. It is beauty simply beca... AVA DELLAIRA There are a lot of human experiences that challenge the limits of our language,” she said. “That... AVA DELLAIRA There's more to life than being a passenger. AVA DELLAIRA But we aren't transparent. If we want someone to know us, we have to tell them stuff. AVA DELLAIRA I know I wrote letters to people with no address on this earth, I know that you are dead. But I hear... AVA DELLAIRA When we are in love, we are both completely in danger and completely saved. AVA DELLAIRA You can be noble and brave and beautiful and still find yourself falling. AVA DELLAIRA What's the point? My face, shall we say, looks lived in. AVA GARDNER All of a sudden we were out of the lot and on the highway next to the mountains, flying. I put my ha... AVA DELLAIRA Dragons have wild hearts that need the open sky AVA RICHARDSON I loved the feeling of being alone together in the car, like we could go anywhere we wanted. Just us... AVA DELLAIRA The time is not always now for everything. AVA RICHARDSON Our phone bills were astronomical, and when I found the letters Frank wrote me the other day, the to... AVA GARDNER You usually find that this is the most romantic sex, because it starts out with long, luscious kisse... DR AVA CADELL When you know you're never going to see someone again, you want to leave her wanting you - and you'l... DR AVA CADELL There's a correlation between a woman's bottom lip and her vagina. Sucking gently on her lip will ma... DR AVA CADELL