SXSW Film: Ava DuVernay Keynote

Ava DuVernay strolled into the land of LBJ like she owned the place, and by the end of her keynote at the SXSW Film Conference, she might as well have.

In a rollicking 30-minute address to a close-to-capacity crowd in the Vimeo Theatre, the 42-year-old director of Selma waved off critics of her handling of the 36th president's role in the historic march ("They were just grouchy"), delivered an exuberant, inspirational reflection on her whirlwind year ("If you aren't paying attention to your intention you are a hot mess"), and playfully name-checked her producer, mentor, and supporting actress Oprah Winfrey ("O.W." and "a friend of mine who owns a network…") enough times that the speech could have been called Super Soul Saturday.

"Listen to me," she said. "I've had the most fucking awesome year."

Ava DuVernay (photo by John Anderson)

DuVernay conveyed some newly earned wisdom that's eased her through an ebullient rise from indie filmmaker to the director of a Best Picture Oscar nominee. First, an affirmation from her pal, O.W., to "name five things I'm grateful for in this moment." And second, the mantra repeated throughout the talk: to know the "intention of your attention."

The minute that she shifted focus away from typical industry concerns – box office stats, reviews, fame, money, other opinions – and instead aimed her aspiration toward the simple goal of service, her life began to change.

Her focus on career advancement and awards through her first films, I Will Follow and Middle of Nowhere, was not satisfying, because, she says, her "heart wasn't enlarging." The shift came when she thought of "the man I love most," her dad, and thought about that bridge – "Pettus, named for a Grand Dragon" of the KKK – and committed to "serve this story" of the historic civil rights march that launched Martin Luther King into the international spotlight.

New focus offered fresh outlook. A budget span of $50,000 to $20 million over three films was "so huge, but didn't feel huge," and the thrill of the Oscars, despite the delight of being fitted for a lovely Prada gown, was kept in check: "It was a room in L.A." she said of the event.

"If your dream only includes you, it's too small," she told the crowd, packed with young people of color. The diversity was so palpable it led one well-wisher in the Q&A line to congratulate her for "the mix." The concentration of young emerging African-American film soon-to-be's left armed with a confidence to follow her lead and pay attention to their intention.