Tonya Mosley

Do those titles, like first Black woman or youngest director in the case of the Marvels movie, do those titles mean anything to you?

Ava DuVernay.

Is that what it is?

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.