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Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler Writes Tribute to Ava DuVernay on A Wrinkle In Time Premiere Day

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Ava DuVernay not only opened her Disney film A Wrinkle In Time nationwide on today, she also received a very nice homage from her fellow director Ryan Coogler. Which one is better? Well, they’re kind of apples to oranges, but the essay is a real love fest. “Ava DuVernay is someone who makes the impossible look easy. It’s why I feel privileged to call her my big sister,†the Black Panther director raved on ESPN on Friday. Pointing to her oeuvre, Coogler singled out 2014’s Selma among DuVernay’s achievements. He exclaimed, “She was already one of my heroes, and that was before she took one of the most sought-after scripts in Hollywood and turned it into the best film about Dr. Martin Luther King that anyone will ever make.â€

The pair, friends since 2013, have publicly lauded each other’s talents before. In his essay, Coogler shouted out the 13th director’s decision to mandate “the use of female directors and key creatives a full two years before the great Frances McDormand shared with the world what an inclusion ride was. Ava is inclusion, equity and representation.†Says Coogler, “Ava is the past, present and future.†You can read the entire tribute here. No matter how A Wrinkle In Time does, at least Ava DuVernay knows she has at least one absolute rave review waiting for her whenever she wants it.

Ryan Coogler Writes Tribute to Director Ava DuVernay