In his latest Substack Live, Mehdi is joined by award-winning director, including of the critically-acclaimed documentary ‘13th,’ Ava DuVernay, to celebrate the launch of her new Substack, Onward with Ava DuVernay.
She reflects on her motivation to join the platform, telling Mehdi, “It’s a chaotic time. I think fear is really the driving force in a lot of our institutions and individuals in the way that they are not living up to the moment in ways that we probably thought we would have.”
And while writers and journalists have flocked to Substack to discuss the political landscape, Ava wanted to bring a new perspective to the conversation.
Trump’s policies have put Hollywood in a precarious position as studios cozy up to the administration. As writers and actors fear retaliation for speaking out about politics, she quotes historian Tim Snyder’s saying, “don’t obey in advance,” and highlights the importance of working independently whenever possible.
One of the biggest issues Hollywood is tip-toeing around is the genocide in Gaza. Ava tells Mehdi, “I’ve been an advocate for the justice and dignity for the people of Palestine since I was a UCLA student.” She calls out the pressure to stay silent, noting that many Oscar attendees were hesitant to applaud when ‘No Other Land’ won.
“No matter where they are in their career, there’s a lot of repercussions to being on one side of this issue,” she explains.
As she embarks on her Substack journey and in the midst of the Trump administration wreaking havoc, she asks Mehdi, “What do the artists have to say about it? Shouldn’t we be engaged more deeply – beyond just the things that we make – but the process, the way we make them, the reason why we make them.”
Watch the full conversation above to hear Ava talk about the state of the Democratic Party and press Mehdi on some of his favorite movies.
And be sure to check out Ava’s brand-new Substack, Onward with Ava DuVernay.
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