Fireside Chat, Interview, Panel
MIc'd Up | Part 1: A Conversation with Norman Lear and Ava DuVernay
- Norman Lear predicts a retrospective view of the Obama administration as highly accomplished while noting that current conversations regarding race and equal opportunity for children remain insufficient.
- Ava DuVernay anticipates her organization, Array, will sustain operations for at least another year with a long-term vision of being active and growing in twenty years, while acknowledging progress in civil rights that is not yet deeply rooted.
- Production on A Wrinkle in Time has wrapped filming, with a scheduled release in March of next year, following a deal valued at over $100 million involving Ava DuVernay.
- A Latina adaptation of One Day at a Time is currently airing, and the second season involves a writing team of eleven individuals developing storylines for episode eight.
- Ava DuVernay expresses uncertainty regarding Oscar nominations and argues that systemic oppression cannot be remedied by a single individual, advocating for marginalized voices to operate outside mainstream paradigms.
- Norman Lear states that the development of Good Times, Sanford and Son, and The Jeffersons originated from the success of All in the Family, while noting plans to include a character in Maud to demonstrate expanded storytelling possibilities.
- Alex Witt indicates that the Q&A session may conclude near the end of the interview with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Woodun, though explicitly notes there are no guarantees.
- Norman Lear recalls struggling to support a family of six children in the past and jokes that he has not yet been arrested for any wrongdoing, whereas Ava DuVernay clarifies she has not yet reached her goal of 10,000 properties on her IMDb profile.
- The discussion addresses the potential for a strike which Lear notes did not occur despite predictions, while DuVernay suggests future discourse on race must include an examination of privilege and how it is traded.
- No specific material risks, financial forecasts, or defined ranges were identified in the statements beyond the release window and deal value for A Wrinkle in Time.