Have You Ever Heard About The Filmmaker Ava DuVernay?
Let’s talk about the film industry of Ava DuVernay. Who doesn’t love the film industry anyway?
Ava DuVernay
Filmmaker
August 24, 1972 — n/a
Birthplace: Long Beach, CA
Ava Marie DuVernay is an award-winning U.S. filmmaker. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Ava won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition for her second feature film, “Middle of Nowhere,” becoming the first black woman ever to win that award.
Ava uses her films and storytelling talents to create movies that address social and political issues and recount pivotal historical events.
Some of her most notable films and documentaries include “Selma,” “13th,” Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” “When They See Us,” and the miniseries about the life of Colin Kaepernick, “Colin in Black & White.”
Ms. DuVernay became the first black woman nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director.
She was also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for her work on “Selma.”
In 2018, her Disney children’s movie “A Wrinkle in Time” earned $100 million in box office sales.
That accomplishment made her the first black woman to direct a live-action film ever earning that much. In 2017, Time Magazine included her in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Ava shows that you can achieve your dreams and greatness no matter when you start. Although she never started until 32 on her current path as a filmmaker, Ava loved journalism.
Ava had an internship with CBS News and worked during the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. She started with short films on next-to-nothing budgets and quickly honed her craft.
She has produced and directed many notable projects. She directed an episode of the hit series Scandal, a live concert, produced Queen Sugar, and more.
To answer a gaping need, DuVernay founded the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM, later rebranded as ARRAY), her own company to distribute films made by or focusing on Black people in 2010. She also started and owned Forward Movement, a film and television production company.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences elected Ava to its board of governors as part of the directors’ branch in 2020.
Ava opened her own public relations firm, The DuVernay Agency, also known as DVAPR, in 1999. She uses her agency to do marketing and public relations for clients on projects, including Spy Kids, Shrek 2, and Dreamgirls.
She also launched the Urban Beauty Collective around 2003, which had more than 10,00 Black beauty salons and barbershops spanning 20 cities within the first five years.
Ava DuVernay’s cinematographic style is unique, and her list of works is extensive.
Ava is a modern civil rights activist addressing America’s racial, socio-, and political concerns.
She is unapologetically authentic and continuously a trailblazer and inspiration to women and people of color everywhere.
Her work continually educates, uplifts, and challenges her viewers to think critically.
She has used her camera and skillset to shine a light on subjects, people, and issues relevant to creating change and a better world.
If you’ve been inspired by this article, I encourage you to purchase the book Real Queens Like Me: Stories of Great Black Women Who Changed the World. It’s available on Amazon.
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