How Can I Take No? This Is My Dream

Award-winning screenwriters, producers, directors, and cultural phenoms, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Lena Waithe, discuss the unique challenges faced by Black women and people in the film industry. Prince-Bythewood recalls the time she was rejected from UCLA Film School, which prompted her to write a letter to the head of the film school advocating for her admission, and two days later, she was accepted.

Her tenacity in pursuit of her dreams resonate in many of the female characters in her movies including Monica (Love & Basketball), Nanisca (The Woman King), and Nawi (The Woman King). This inspiring story about pushing back against the “no” also reflects a deeper meaning about believing in our future selves. Rejecting today’s “no” means we see the “yes” of tomorrow, next week, or even next year.

May all the women storytellers continue to pursue their “yes.”