Magic, adventure, and excitement filled the air last week at Dollarhide Community Center where over 300 local middle school students arrived to watch a private screening of the new Disney film, “A Wrinkle in Time.” The event, which was held in Compton, was hosted by the city’s very own Mayor Aja Brown and the film’s award-winning director Ava DuVernay.
The film, based on Madeleine L’Engle’s classic quintet series, tells the story of a young girl and her life-changing journey of discovering her own light. The movie also explores the nature of darkness and light, good versus evil.
“This film is for kids 13-18-years-old. It is really a film to talk about love and loving who you are. So often we see images where we are in turmoil or there is trauma around our children and this one is really about joy and Black girl and Black boy magic,” said DuVernay a Compton native.
“In this film, a little girl flies, she hops planets, she saves the universe and I really wanted to make the film because I think those images are important.”
The screening was a collaborative effort between the mayor’s office, DuVernay’s team, Disney, and other community businesses to help put on a one-of-a-kind movie going experience for students of color.
Recently, DuVernay made history herself after becoming the first Black woman to have a $100,000,000 budget to make the film “A Wrinkle in Time.”
“I think it is so important for our young people to see amazing images and to recognize that someone that has come from these same communities has been able to break records and be a glass ceiling breaker and Ava DuVernay being the first woman of color to have a one-hundred-million-dollar budget to create the film and then for them to have the experience,” said Brown.
“I think this is a really important movie with a really important message and I was really blessed and honored that Ava also had the same vision to ensure that we can bring Disney and this film to Compton.”
During the event, students from Barack Obama Charter School, Celerity Achernar Charter School, and Compton Youth Build were able to walk the red carpet and strike their best pose and enjoy a variety of snacks, drinks, and food from Dickey’s BBQ. All of the food and beverages were donated.
Following the students red carpet treatment, Miss Compton 2017 title holder Maliyah Mason, moderated a special discussion between the mayor and director DuVernay, in which the two discussed the inspiration behind the film and the importance of representation in leadership.
Mayor Brown also touched on the importance of exceeding your own limitations and the impact of seeing people of color exceling in different areas of life.
“I remember being a young shy kid and so being able to see pictures with images of people who looked like me would have been transformative so I hope that they [the students] are able to see themselves in these characters and that they continue to strive and to really change barriers and change their lives,” she said.
“Hopefully one area of limitation or invisible ceiling or barrier that they once had will be shattered and that they will be challenged to be courageous to think outside the box, take chances and make choices that they otherwise wouldn’t do.”
“A Wrinkle in Time,” stars two-time Academy Award nominee Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which; Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit; Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who; Storm Reid as Meg Murry; Levi Miller as Calvin; Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Mrs. Murry; Michael Peña as Red; with two-time Emmy winner Zach Galifianakis as the Happy Medium and Emmy nominee Chris Pine as Mr. Murry. The film hits theatres everywhere on March 9.
