Why Ava Duvernay Is Our Fairy God Mother For 2018

Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty

Ava Duvernay accepted the Entertainer of The Year award at the NAACP Image Awards for her work in 2017, but she has an incredible 2018 in front of her. Oh, let us tell you the ways.

Duvernay’s exceptional work in 2017 earned her the coveted trophy. She became the first Black woman to receive an Academy award nomination for her critically-acclaimed documentary 13th, which exposed the truths about the effects of mass incarceration on the Black community. And carved her name in the history books as the first Black women director to helm a live-action film—A Wrinkle In The Time—with a production budget over $100 million. And who can forget a little video she directed for Jay Z starring Beyonce, Blue Ivy, Michael B. Jordan, Trevante Rhodes and Thandie Newton.
Pinned to the top of her Twitter account is her NAACP Image Award’s acceptance speech, where she used her time to big up her co-nominees and fellow Black content creators for their contributions to the culture. She also used her platform to build anticipation around the upcoming blockbuster Disney film A Wrinkle In Time.
“Three weeks after Panther another hero takes the stage. It’s a little Black girl. I’m not going to get emotional. A little Black girl with glasses. She saves the universe from darkness that seems to be all around us,” she said in her triumphant speech. “It’s a love letter I made for family and community to invest in ourselves. This is our time.”
Expect her #BlackGirlMagic to sky-rocket in 2018 when A Wrinkle In Time is released in March and her reign as a director gets a fairy-dust sheen.

Grateful. Beyond grateful. xo! #ImageAwards pic.twitter.com/7JSw4s0FWS

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 16, 2018

Duvernay’s year started off with a bang as she covers the February issue of Essence Magazine alongside Oprah and the rising young star of A Wrinkle In The Time.

NEW COVER ALERT @Ava, @Oprah, and @StormReid are bringing #BlackGirlMagic to life in #WrinkleInTime! “I so want Black women to love it and Black girls to love it. I want everybody to love it, but this is a love letter to us,” DuVernay says. Our February issue is available on newsstands 1/19! #IssaEssenceSlay Hit the in bio for more on our cover stars.

A post shared by ESSENCE (@essence) on Jan 18, 2018 at 6:21am PST

The magnitude of A Wrinkle In Time’s colorful and its ensemble cast will demand a change in Hollywood.
“Women directors, we’re not getting people just saying, ‘Hey, let’s talk about this $100 million sci-fi epic,’” Duvernay told Time.com.
With the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements raising awareness around the inequalities women face in Hollywood, Duvernay’s talent should be undeniable. We’re deeming 2018 the year of Duvernay.
A Wrinkle In Time hits theaters March 9.