One evening in February 2016, writer and filmmaker Ava DuVernay met with two top Disney executives about the possibility of directing an adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel A Wrinkle in Time. DuVernay, 44 at the time, had overcome many challenges to reach that moment. She had launched her career 12 years earlier with no connections — she just picked up a camera and started making small-budget films, including one she financed out of her own savings account. She achieved a big breakthrough with Selma, the first film directed by an African American woman to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
