Actress Sharon Lawrence, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, actress Lorraine Toussaint, actor David Oyelowo, actor Troy Curvey, actor Omari Hardwick and actress Emayatzy E. Corinealdi poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Getty Images Portrait Studio at T-Mobile Village at the Lift on January 21, 2012 in Park City, Utah.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2012
Los Angeles, California, United States
From L to R: Los Angeles Film Festival director Stephanie Allain, director Ava DuVernay, actress Angela Bassett, and actress Emayatzy Corinealdi arrive at Film Independent's 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival Premiere Of AFFRM & Participant Media's "Middle Of Nowhere" at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on June 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2012
Los Angeles, California, United States
(L-R) Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lorraine Toussaint and Ava DuVernay attends TheWrap's Awards Season Screening Series Presents "Middle Of Nowhere" on November 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2012
New York City, United States
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay speaks onstage at the IFP's 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 26, 2012 in New York City.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2013
Santa Monica, California, United States
Producer Howard Barish and writer/director Ava DuVernay accept the John Cassavetes Award for 'Middle of Nowhere' from presenters Common and Zoe Saldana onstage during the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on February 23, 2013 in Santa Monica, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2014
DGA Theater, Los Angeles, California, United States
Director Ava DuVernay attends Deadline's The Contenders at DGA Theater on November 1, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2014
Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
(L-R) Producer Jeremy Kleiner, actor Common, producer Dede Gardner, producer/actress Oprah Winfrey, director Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo, and actress Lorraine Toussaint attend the "Selma" first look during the AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi at the Egyptian Theatre on November 11, 2014 in Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2014
New York City, United States
David Oyelowo, Ava DuVernay, Patrick Harrison, Carmen Ejogo and Common attend an Official Academy Members Screening Of SELMA hosted by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences at The Academy Theatre at Lighthouse International on December 15, 2014 in New York City.
Ava DuVernay visits The SiriusXM Studios For "Selma: An Urban View Special" on January 6, 2015 in New York City.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
New York City, United States
Director Ava DuVernay attends the 2014 National Board of Review Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 6, 2015 in New York City.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
110 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, USA
(L-R) Director/producer Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo and actress/producer Oprah Winfrey accept the award for Outstanding Motion Picture for 'Selma', onstage during the 46th NAACP Image Awards presented by TV One at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 6, 2015 in Pasadena, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
6801 Hollywood Blvd #170, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA
Director Ava DuVernay attends the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 2, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Director Ava DuVernay attends the 'Selma' press conference during the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 10, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
Culver City, California, United States
Directors Ava DuVernay (L) and Euzhan Palcy attend the 2015 Sundance Institute Celebration Benefit at 3LABS on June 2, 2015 in Culver City, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2015
New York City, United States
Director Ava DuVernay speaks on stage during ColorofChange.org 10 Year Anniversary Gala at Gotham Hall on October 5, 2015 in New York City.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2016
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Director Ava DuVernay attends a cocktail reception for "Queen Sugar" at Liberty Kitchen on July 2, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2017
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Directors Barry Jenkins (L) and Ava DuVernay attend the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Santa Monica Pier on February 25, 2017 in Santa Monica, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2017
300 Doheny Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
Storm Reid (L) and Ava DuVernay attend at ELLE's 24th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration presented by L'Oreal Paris, Real Is Rare, Real Is A Diamond and CALVIN KLEIN at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on October 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
6838 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, USA
(L-R) Actors Rowan Blanchard, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Storm Reid, Director Ava DuVernay, Screenwriter Jennifer Lee, Producers Catherine Hand and Jim Whitaker onstage at the world premiere of Disneys 'A Wrinkle in Time' at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood CA, March 26, 2018.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
Los Angeles, California, United States
(L-R) Actors Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and Director Ava DuVernay participate in the press conference for Disneys 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Hollywood, CA on March 25, 2018
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
Compton, California, United States
Director Ava DuVernay and City of Compton Mayor, Aja Brown attend a special advance private screeing of "A Wrinkle in Time" attended by students from various middle schools around the city of Compton on March 2, 2018 in Compton, California.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
165 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023, USA
Ava DuVernay and Storm Reid attend as O, The Oprah Magazine hosts special NYC screening of "A Wrinkle In Time" at Walter Reade Theater on March 7, 2018 in New York City.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
London, England
Image has been converted to black and white) Director Ava Duvernay attends the European premiere of Disney's "A Wrinkle In Time" at BFI IMAX on March 13, 2018 in London, England.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
Cannes, France
(L-R) Jury members Khadja Nin, Lea Seydoux, Jury head Cate Blanchett, Ava DuVernay and Kristen Stewart attend the Jury photocall during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 8, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
Cannes, France
(L-R) Jury members Ava Duvernay, Denis Villeneuve, jury president Cate Blanchett and jury member Robert Guediguian attend the Jury press conference during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at on May 8, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Lea Seydoux and Ava DuVernay attend the screening of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" and the Closing Ceremony during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Ava DuVernay speaks onstage during the Black Girls Rock! 2018 Show at NJPAC on August 26, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.
Gallery of Ava DuVernay
2018
450 W 15th St # 800, New York, NY 10011, USA
Publisher, New York Media Avi Zimak and Director Ava DuVernay of Queen Sugar attend Day Two of the Vulture Festival Presented By AT&T at Milk Studios on May 20, 2018 in New York City.
Achievements
Ava DuVernay Times cover
Membership
Awards
John Cassavetes Award
2013
John Cassavetes Award
2013 - Middle of Nowhere (2012)
Actress Sharon Lawrence, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, actress Lorraine Toussaint, actor David Oyelowo, actor Troy Curvey, actor Omari Hardwick and actress Emayatzy E. Corinealdi poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival at the Getty Images Portrait Studio at T-Mobile Village at the Lift on January 21, 2012 in Park City, Utah.
From L to R: Los Angeles Film Festival director Stephanie Allain, director Ava DuVernay, actress Angela Bassett, and actress Emayatzy Corinealdi arrive at Film Independent's 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival Premiere Of AFFRM & Participant Media's "Middle Of Nowhere" at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on June 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
(L-R) Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lorraine Toussaint and Ava DuVernay attends TheWrap's Awards Season Screening Series Presents "Middle Of Nowhere" on November 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay speaks onstage at the IFP's 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 26, 2012 in New York City.
Producer Howard Barish and writer/director Ava DuVernay accept the John Cassavetes Award for 'Middle of Nowhere' from presenters Common and Zoe Saldana onstage during the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on February 23, 2013 in Santa Monica, California.
Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, California, United States
(L-R) Producer Jeremy Kleiner, actor Common, producer Dede Gardner, producer/actress Oprah Winfrey, director Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo, and actress Lorraine Toussaint attend the "Selma" first look during the AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi at the Egyptian Theatre on November 11, 2014 in Hollywood, California.
David Oyelowo, Ava DuVernay, Patrick Harrison, Carmen Ejogo and Common attend an Official Academy Members Screening Of SELMA hosted by The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences at The Academy Theatre at Lighthouse International on December 15, 2014 in New York City.
(L-R) Director/producer Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo and actress/producer Oprah Winfrey accept the award for Outstanding Motion Picture for 'Selma', onstage during the 46th NAACP Image Awards presented by TV One at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 6, 2015 in Pasadena, California.
Director Ava DuVernay attends the 'Selma' press conference during the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 10, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.
Directors Ava DuVernay (L) and Euzhan Palcy attend the 2015 Sundance Institute Celebration Benefit at 3LABS on June 2, 2015 in Culver City, California.
200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Directors Barry Jenkins (L) and Ava DuVernay attend the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Santa Monica Pier on February 25, 2017 in Santa Monica, California.
Storm Reid (L) and Ava DuVernay attend at ELLE's 24th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration presented by L'Oreal Paris, Real Is Rare, Real Is A Diamond and CALVIN KLEIN at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on October 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
(L-R) Actors Rowan Blanchard, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Storm Reid, Director Ava DuVernay, Screenwriter Jennifer Lee, Producers Catherine Hand and Jim Whitaker onstage at the world premiere of Disneys 'A Wrinkle in Time' at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood CA, March 26, 2018.
(L-R) Actors Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and Director Ava DuVernay participate in the press conference for Disneys 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Hollywood, CA on March 25, 2018
Director Ava DuVernay and City of Compton Mayor, Aja Brown attend a special advance private screeing of "A Wrinkle in Time" attended by students from various middle schools around the city of Compton on March 2, 2018 in Compton, California.
Ava DuVernay and Storm Reid attend as O, The Oprah Magazine hosts special NYC screening of "A Wrinkle In Time" at Walter Reade Theater on March 7, 2018 in New York City.
Image has been converted to black and white) Director Ava Duvernay attends the European premiere of Disney's "A Wrinkle In Time" at BFI IMAX on March 13, 2018 in London, England.
(L-R) Jury members Khadja Nin, Lea Seydoux, Jury head Cate Blanchett, Ava DuVernay and Kristen Stewart attend the Jury photocall during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 8, 2018 in Cannes, France.
(L-R) Jury members Ava Duvernay, Denis Villeneuve, jury president Cate Blanchett and jury member Robert Guediguian attend the Jury press conference during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at on May 8, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Lea Seydoux and Ava DuVernay attend the screening of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" and the Closing Ceremony during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2018 in Cannes, France.
Publisher, New York Media Avi Zimak and Director Ava DuVernay of Queen Sugar attend Day Two of the Vulture Festival Presented By AT&T at Milk Studios on May 20, 2018 in New York City.
Ava Marie DuVernay is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor.
Background
DuVernay was born on August 24, 1972, in Long Beach, California. She was raised by her mother, Darlene, an educator, and her stepfather, Murray Maye. The surname of her biological father, Joseph Marcel DuVernay III, originates with Louisiana Creole ancestry. She grew up in Lynwood, California, which is near Compton.
During her summer vacations, she would travel to the childhood home of her stepfather, which was not far from Selma, Alabama. DuVernay said that these summers influenced the making of Selma, as her stepfather saw the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches as a small child.
Education
In 1990, DuVernay graduated from Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she was a double BA major in English literature and African-American studies.
Ava Marie DuVernay started her career as a publicist, founding The DuVernay Agency, a.k.a. DVA Media + Marketing, and providing services for a variety of television and film projects, including "Girlfriends" (UPN, 2000-06; The CW, 2006-08), "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005), "Dreamgirls" (2006) and "Cop Out" (2010). She made her writing and directing debut with the short "Saturday Night Life" (2006) before writing, directing and producing the alternative hip-hop documentary "This is the Life" (2008). Jubilant and charming, the film made quite the critical splash, winning awards from the Hollywood Black Film Festival, Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival and the Toronto ReelWorld Film Festival, as well as a Black Reel Award nomination.
Buoyed by her success and committed to helping tell important stories, DuVernay produced and directed the Black Reel-nominated "My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip-Hop" (BET, 2010) but made her narrative debut by writing, directing and producing "I Will Follow" (2011), a tale of a young African-American woman coming to terms with her aunt's death and her attempts to rebuild and restart her own life in the shadow of such loss. The powerful indie, shot and released on a shoestring budget, impressed many critics, and earned two Black Reel Award nominations as well as mainstream media attention when many outlets, including the New York Times, covered the fact that the film marked the first release of DuVernay's African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), an attempt to help change the overwhelmingly white face of up-and-coming independent film.
Ava achieved an amazing breakthrough with her next writing-directing-producing effort, the downbeat but dazzling drama "Middle of Nowhere" (2012), the tale of a young nurse (Emayatzy Corinealdi) who gives up much of her own life and goals to support her incarcerated husband (Omari Hardwick). Inspired by the strength and heartbreak of neighborhood women in similar situations, DuVernay's film delved into the complicated feelings, lingering sacrifices and divided loyalties in both inmates as well as loved ones left outside. It also offered viewers a rare non-stereotypical onscreen portrait of fully realized, complex African-American characters. Nominated for a Gotham Award and a Humanitas Prize, "Middle of Nowhere" also earned a Grand Jury Prize nomination from the Sundance Film Festival. DuVernay herself made history when she became the first African-American to win the Directing Award from Sundance. DuVernay's next film, "Selma" (2014), dramatized Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s struggles during the era-defining civil rights march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Powered by David Oyelowo's magnetic performance as King, "Selma" earned both critical acclaim and box office success on a greater level than DuVernay's earlier films. DuVernay's next major project was the television series "Queen Sugar" (OWN 2016 ), executive produced by Oprah Winfrey. In 2016, she was announced as the director of the film adaptation of children's fantasy best-seller "A Wrinkle In Time." DuVernay resides in Los Angeles, California.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay directed the Oscar-nominated film ‘Selma’ (2014), which chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership in the struggle for voting rights. She is the first African-American female director to receive a Golden Globe nomination and have a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. She received another Oscar nomination for her documentary '13th' (2016).
In 2012, Variety featured Duvernay in its Women's Impact Report. In June 2013, she was invited to both the director's and writer's branches of AMPAS. DuVernay was only the second black woman, following Kasi Lemmons, to be invited to the director's branch. Duvernay became the inaugural recipient of the Tribeca Film Institute's Heineken Affinity Award, receiving a $20,000 prize and industry support for future projects. DuVernay donated all the money to AFFRM, the black arthouse film collective she founded. In June 2015, Duvernay was honored as part of Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards with the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. In April 2015 DuVernay was chosen as one of Mattel's "Sheros" of 2015. As such a custom-made one-of-a-kind Barbie in DuVernay's likeness was produced. The doll was auctioned off with the proceeds given to charity. Due to high demand, a collectible version of the doll was produced and sold in December of that year. In 2016, DuVernay was named to Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100 list of visionaries and influential leaders. In 2017, DuVernay became the first black woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, for her film 13th. In 2018, DuVernay won Entertainer of the Year at the 49th NAACP Image Awards for her work in 2017.
Acclaimed director, producer and writer Ava DuVernay has never been shy about expressing her political views. When asked about President Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem, DuVernay said she has some serious questions about the sanity of the U.S. president.
Views
Through the course of her work, she noted the lack of funding and support for African-American independent films, and set her sights on helping to remedy the problem.
DuVernay notes that while women directors are rare, black women filmmakers are rarer still - "a small sorority". Her most important contributions to the entertainment industry may not be in the films and shows themselves. Instead, it is her commitment to helping create a more equal and fair future for actors of all colors.
Quotations:
"Be passionate and move forward with gusto every single hour of every single day until you reach your goal."
"Film school was a privilege I could not afford."
"When I'm marketing a film, whether its mine or someone else's, I work with a great deal of strategy and elbow grease until the job is done."
"I'm a prison abolitionist because the prison system as it is set up is just not working. It's horrible."
"If you're doing something outside of dominant culture, there's not an easy place for you. You will have to do it yourself."
"I think I am a little jealous of women who have great girlfriends as adults."
"In documentaries, there's a truth that unfolds unnaturally, and you get to chronicle it. In narratives, you have to create the situations so that the truth will come out."
"All the films I do, I write the scripts, I direct."
"Filmmakers need to realize that their job isn't done when they lock picture. We must see our films through."
"I think that if we really want to break it down, that non-black filmmakers have had many, many years and many, many opportunities to tell many, many stories about themselves, and black filmmakers have not had as many years, as many opportunities, as many films to explore the nuances of our reality."
"All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who are creative to do what they need to do without having institutions block their art."
"I don't understand the iPhone. I just don't get it. Don't ya'll have to write serious emails throughout the day? How can you possibly manage detailed missives on a phone with no keys?"
"I make films about black women and it doesn't mean that you can't see them as a black man, doesn't mean that he can't see them as a white man or she can't see them as a white woman."
"I didn't start out thinking that I could ever make films. I started out being a film lover, loving films, and wanting to have a job that put me close to them and close to filmmakers and close to film sets."
"As long as you're in an environment where the worth of the project isn't based on the project but what its predecessors did, it's not truly inclusive."
"I've been to Sundance eight times as a publicist and thought I was very prepared. I mean, who could've been more prepared for me? A publicist who's been there eight times. Getting there as a filmmaker was a completely surreal, different, unexpected experience."
"I think good publicists are just like good mommies - always looking out, making sure folks are comfortable and making sure that folks are on time and making sure that folks are getting what they need and know what they need to do."
"I really admire Werner Herzog and Spike Lee. They're amazing documentarians. If you took away all the narratives, they'd just be amazing documentarians."
"I just don't think there's a lot of support for the woman's voice in cinema, and it becomes really difficult to raise that money and start again every time."
"I think for female filmmakers a big issue is making their second and third films."
"I think that women definitely have a special bond as friends that is hard to describe to men, and we don't often see that portrayed narratively."
"I tell the stories that are of interest to me."
"You know, often films that are deemed positive, nobody wants to see them.
I didn't go to film school. I got my education on the set as a niche publicist in the film industry."
"Positive characterizations are complex characterizations. That's all we need to know. They shouldn't be saccharine. They shouldn't feel like medicine."
Personality
She is friends with Oprah Winfrey.
Physical Characteristics:
Eye color - Black
Hair color - Black
Build - Slim
Interests
Favorite documentarians - Werner Herzog, Spike Lee
Connections
Ava is extremely private about her personal life, but was rumored to be dating rapper and actor Common when they were working on ‘Selma.’ The two have since split and DuVernay is reportedly single.
(born November 19, 1979) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for his films Medicine for Melancholy (2008) and Moonlight (2016), the latter of which received dozens of accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Picture as well as Best Adapted Screenplay, which Jenkins shared with co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney.
2017 - Innovation Award
2014 - Best Director, Selma (2014)
2012 - Best Screenplay, Middle of Nowhere (2012)
2011 - Best Screenplay, I Will Follow (2010)
