Tonya Mosley

Because it does, when I look at your career, it almost feels like a sprint.

It's like you're not just walking upstairs, you're like sprinting up the stairs.

So let me make sure that I make the most of it.

If you're just joining us, my guest is filmmaker Nia DaCosta.

We'll be right back after a short break.

I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

So yeah, you went from Candyman to The Marvels, which is this massive Marvel movie.

And I heard that when you pitched for it, you wrote that it's a story about sisters.

And that stuck with me because that's not what people think about when we think about a superhero movie.

How did you hold on to that emotional core when you're also dealing with

I don't know, you know, CGI sequences and intergalactic battles.

Okay, Nia, I want to go back to where it all started for you as a filmmaker.

I know it started as a child, very young.

But I want to talk about your idols.

So a lot of filmmakers who make their mark in the 1970s, Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg, they're all folks that you talk about quite a bit.

And these are guys you believe could do anything with a camera.

Yeah.

But you're not a guy, and it's not 1970s.

What is it about their particular brand of filmmaking that speaks to you?

You went into college knowing what you wanted to do.