The film industry is going through a major shift at the moment as insiders and moviegoers alike try to make sense of the viral Paramount-Warner Bros. merger officially known as Skydance.
Famed director Ava DuVernay appeared on stage this past Monday (October 12) during the 70th BFI London Film Festival for a panel discussion centered on her latest documentary, 14th. In addition to giving some insight on her career path to date, she also made a bold statement regarding the current state of Hollywood.
Let’s just say DuVernay has a grave answer to what the mega-merger will mean for filmmaking.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, DuVernay put an emphasis on crowdfunding during the Q&A session when asked how producers could finance films like hers, stating, “You put your movie up there, and there are all kinds of apps and sites that allow people who are like-minded to do it.” She went on to add, “But [it’s about] also just asking people, getting 20 people investing $5,000 — a nice amount of money to say something or make something. And there are ways to get that money back, whether it’s through taking the film around to different film festivals or YouTubing it or selling it. This is what we’re going back to.”
In highlighting how important alternate funding will be, the Emmy-winning filmmaker made her point clear by simply stating her hot take: “Hollywood is over.”
Doubling down on her point, she went on to tell the audience, “Did you guys hear? It’s done. They’re buying each other, they’re collapsing. It’s all changed. They’re selling studio lots. The idea of going to Sundance and getting a three-picture deal from Harvey Weinstein? He’s in prison.”
She summarized her point by noting that creatives will now more than ever have to rely on making direct connections to their audiences without the film studios acting as a middle man.
Although Netflix serves as the middle man when it comes to 14th, for DuVernay it’s about spreading the message as far as possible. The documentary gives historic context behind the 14 Amendment, and the current systematic attack against it regarding citizenship rights and equal protection under the law. In the same conversation, she spoke on the experience of making it by stating, “This film saved me in a lot of ways. … The rage that I feel and the fear that I feel, I was really being able to pour it into 14th every day. I only finished the film two weeks ago, and so I really don’t know what I’m going to do from here.”
We don’t think anyone wants to see Hollywood come to a full stop, but her point was made in making note of the power in shifting towards a DIY approach. With the rise of Skydance and a new generation questioning their place in the game, these are the conversations that will shape the future of filmmaking.
