Ava DuVernay
writer, producer, director & distributor of independent film
Early Years ...
Ava was born in Long Beach, California. She attended UCLA where she double- majored in English literature and African-American studies.
Ava worked as a marketer and publicist for 14 years. Her award-winning firm, DuVernay Agency, provided strategy and execution for more than 120 films for acclaimed directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood.
Film-Making...
Ava felt inspired to start make her own films while on the set of the thriller ‘Collateral’ (2004), starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise.
She released shorts like ‘Saturday Night Life’ (2006)
and documentaries like ‘This Is the Life’ (2008)
and ‘My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop’ (2010).
Directing Debut ...
Ava made her feature film debut as director and screenwriter with the drama ‘I Will Follow’, a moving film about a woman grieving over the loss of her aunt to cancer.
The work put her on the map, with film critic Roger Ebert declaring, 'I Will Follow' is one of the best films I've seen about coming to terms with the death of loved one. It isn't sentimental, it isn't superficial. It is very deeply true.”
Accolades ...
In 2012 Ava wrote, produced and directed
‘Middle Of Nowhere’, which earned her the
Sundance Film Festival Best Director Award.
Ava’s historical drama
‘Selma’
garnered four Golden Globe nominations and two Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
In 2017 Ava was named one of
Fortune
Magazine's 50 Greatest World Leaders
and TIME Magazine's100 Most Influential People.
Making history...
Ava directed the Oscar-nominated film
‘Selma’ (2014), which chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership in the struggle to secure African-American voting rights. Ava is the first African-American female director to receive a Golden Globe nomination and have a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
Ava is the founder of ARRAY, a grassroots distribution and advocacy collective dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women.
Q&A
What do you love about your job?
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What would you like the next generation of girls to know?
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What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
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Ava has directed numerous films including ...
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