Ava DuVernay

At 52 years old, Ava DuVernay has this physical status:

Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker and film distributor.

She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award.

For her work on Selma (2014), DuVernay became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th (2016). DuVernay's 2018 fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time, had a production and marketing budget between $150 million and $250 million, making her the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of that size.

Although commercially unsuccessful, the film made her the first black American woman to direct a film that earned at least $100 million domestically.The following year, she created, co-wrote, and directed the Netflix drama miniseries When They See Us, based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which has earned critical acclaim.

Early life and education

Ava Marie DuVernay was born on August 24, 1972, in Long Beach, California. She was raised by her mother, Darlene (née Sexton), 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. She has four siblings.

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 father had witnessed the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

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 is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

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Career

Despite the widespread success that DuVernay has received in film and television, she did not take a camera until she was 32 years old. DuVernay's first passion was in journalism, a choice influenced by CBS News' internship. She was hired to assist in the O.J. Simpson's murder trial is underway. DuVernay was disillusioned by journalism and decided to go public relations, serving as a junior publicist at 20th Century Fox, Savoy Pictures, and a handful of other PR firms. In 1999, she founded The DuVernay Agency, also known as DVAPR.

She provided marketing and PR support to the entertainment and lifestyle industry, as well as assisting with advertising for movies and television shows, including Lumumba, Spy Kids, Shrek 2, The Terminal, Collateral, and Dreamgirls.

Urban Beauty Collective, a promotional network that began in 2003 and has more than 10,000 African-American beauty salons and barbershops in 16 U.S. cities, which has expanded to 20 in 2008. They were sent a free subscription to UBC-TV, the African-American blog hub Urban Thought Collective in 2008, Urban Eye, a two-minute long weekday celebrity and entertainment news show broadcast to radio stations, and HelloBeautiful, a digital platform for millennial women of color.

DuVernay decided to make her first film, a short called Saturday Night Life, in 2005, during the Christmas break. The 12-minute film, based on her mother's experiences, was about a juggling single mother (Melissa De Sousa) and her three children's ride to a Los Angeles discount store. As part of Showtime's Black Filmmaker Showcase, the film toured the festival circuit and was broadcast on February 6, 2007.

DuVernay's next attempt was to make documentaries, since they can be produced on a smaller budget than fiction films, and she's able to learn the trade while doing so. "She pushed myself to capture Compton in just two hours and present whatever she found" in 2007, a short film by Clempton in C Minor. She made her feature directorial debut with the alternative hip hop documentary This Is the Life, a history of Los Angeles' Good Life Cafe's arts movement in which she appeared as part of the duo Figures of Speech, the following year. This is the Life at the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto, the Los Angeles Black Film Festival, the Hollywood Black Film Festival, and the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival in Seattle.

I Will Follow, DuVernay's first narrative feature film starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield, was released theatrically in 2011. Denise Sexton, DuVernay's aunt, was the inspiration for the film. In an interview with DuVernay, she discussed how her real life experiences differed from the film: "I was a caregiver for my aunt Denise Sexton in the last year and a half of her life." She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She was a fighter and was involved in her recovery until the end, which was different from the protagonist in the film where she was fighting in a different way." DuVernay's film was made in 14 days and cost the company $50,000. "One of the best films I've seen about coming to terms with the death of a loved one," Roger Ebert said. I Will Follow was a formal selection of AFI Fest, Pan-African Film Festival, UrbanWorld, and the Chicago International Film Festival.

DuVernay hadn't quit her public service until after I Will Follow. "I knew that as a Black woman in this industry, I would not have people knocking down my door to give me money for my initiatives," DuVernay said, "I was able to make them on the side while doing my day job."

DuVernay's second narrative feature film, Middle of Nowhere, debuted in the summer of 2011, but she was unable to fund it. The film based on her own experiences growing up in Compton and Inglewood. The tale revolves around the wife of an imprisoned man who is serving a 10-year term. In order to have more time and emotional energy to offer to her imprisoned spouse, she dropped out of medical school. The film explores how the families of the prisoners are also victims of the program, as well as women of color, which reveals how common this burden of incarceration is faced by women of color. "The idea of looking at the victims of incarceration – the mothers, sisters, and daughters – came from knowing women who were living with it," DuVernay talked to the LA Times in an interview.

On January 20 at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it appeared in a dramatic competition in the United States, the film made its world premiere on January 20. The United States received the coveted trophy. Dramatic for DuVernay. She was the first African-American woman to win the competition. DuVernay received the 2012 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for her film work.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture had DuVernay to produce a film about African-American history and culture. September 28: A Day in the Life of a People explores six historical events that took place on the same date, August 28, in different years. On September 24, 2016, the museum's opening was held. Lupita Nyong'o, Don Cheadle, Regina King, David Oyelowo, Angela Bassett, Michael Ealy, Gugum, André Holland, and Glynn Turman appear in the 22-minute film. William IV's royal assent to the United Kingdom Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi, and the unveiling of "Please Mr. Postman," Motown's first number one song, Rev. Rev. The Marvellettes, Rev. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 I Have a Dream address, the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and night Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

"DuVernay is one of a new generation of Black filmmakers who are the ardent catalyst for what may very well be a Black film revival in the making," Michael T. Martin says. He continues to address DuVernay's mission and "call to action" which is part of a larger and more effective Black cinematic brand, with no need to wait and demand permission to access our films: to be self-determining."

As first suggested by Guardian writers Nadia and Leila Latif, and then by The New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis in January 2016, asking whether "blacks and other minorities have fully lived rather than being scenery in white stories." It aims to highlight the absence of people of color in Hollywood movies, whether for a specific film or a lack of a gratuitous link to white actors.

The Rev. DuVernay produced Selma, a $20 million budget dramatic film of this type, which is still very low for a film of this caliber. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights were among the protesters. Plan B Entertainment's film, "Plan B Entertainment," was released on December 25, 2014, to critical acclaim. Selma will be "the first big feature film in theaters that has nothing to do with the King's main character," according to DuVernay, making it a historical landmark in biopic history.

In order to emphasize King and the people of Selma as central figures, she wrote uncredited re-writes of most of Paul Webb's original screenplay. In a October 2020 interview with Webb, DuVernay said she, not Webb, made the biggest mistake of her career, when she wrote Selma. DuVernay said the film is "not a documentary" in reaction to some historians and media outlets' accusations of irresponsibly rewriting history to promote her own agenda. I'm not a historian. I'm a storyteller.

At the 2014 Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song, but not for Best Director. The 2014 Oscar nominations were mainly reported on Twitter, due to a lack of diversity in the nominees. This film was the first one directed by a person of color nominated for the 87th Academy Awards. Selma's "Glory" was given the award for Best Original Song. DuVernay said she had not intended to be selected as director, so the omission did not really concern her, but she was sad that actor David Oyelowo, who played King, was not nominated as the Best Actor. People of color were not eligible in the Academy Awards, according to her, and they were systemic.

After Selma, DuVernay was invited by executives to produce Marvel's first film about a black superhero, Black Panther, but she passed. "I think I'll just say we had different expectations about what the story would be like," Essence DuVernay said in an interview. Marvel has a particular way of doing stuff, and I think they're awesome and a lot of people love doing what they do. "I loved that they reached out to me." "I love the character of Black Panther, the nation of Wakanda, and all that could be visually appealing," she said. I wish them well and will be first in line to see it."

The New York Film Festival revealed in July that the 13th, a documentary directed by DuVernay, would open the festival. No mention of the film had been made by either DuVernay or Netflix, the film's distributor, was given until the announcement. The film, which focuses on race in the United States criminal justice system, was released after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed slavery (except as punishment for a felony). DuVernay's film begins with the facts that 25 percent of the prisoners in the United States are imprisoned, and that slavery has effectively perpetuated in the United States through widespread mass incarceration of people of color. Several leading activists, politicians, and public figures such as Bryan Stevenson, Angela Davis, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich, Cory Booker, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and others who address topics such as convict leases, teenage detention, and child sentencing minorities are among the film's victims. It was also the first critically acclaimed documentary to highlight Kalief Browder's tragic tale.

On Netflix, it was announced on October 7, 2016. Based on 94 reviews, the 13th earned acclaim from film critics and received a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. According to the scholarly consensus, "13th strikes at the center of America's turbulent past have tangled history, delivering incendiary as they are calmly governed." "13th is certainly the most important film you'll ever see," Angela Davis wrote in an Awards Circuit article. At the 89th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Film, DuVernay became the first Black woman to be nominated by the academy as a producer in a feature category. In addition, the film received a Peabody Award in 2017 and a Columbia Journalism School duPont Award in 2018.

In 2010, Disney acquired the film rights to Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 book A Wrinkle in Time, which follows a young girl moving through space and time. Disney revealed the recruiting of Jeff Stockwell to write the screenplay for Cary Granat and his new Bedrock Studios following Tim Burton's success with Alice in Wonderland. Cary Granat had worked on Narnia and Bridge to Terabithia films before working with Disney. Jennifer Lee was announced as the screenwriter on August 5, 2014, replacing Stockwell, who had written the first draft. DuVernay had been invited to direct the film on February 8, 2016, and she was confirmed as director later that month.

In November 2016, A Wrinkle in Time began filming. DuVernay is the first African-American woman to direct a live action film with a budget of over $100 million, and the second woman to do so after Patty Jenkins (who starred Wonder Woman).

In its first weekend, the film debuted in March 2018 and flocked in $33 million, second at the box office behind Black Panther. Yahoo! Following Disney's Q2 earnings study in May 2018, Yahoo! The film will be out of the theater for anywhere between $86 and 186 million, according to finance. Nonetheless, A Wrinkle in Time made the top 100 grossing movies of 2018, making Ava DuVernay one of the top 100 female directors on the list that year.

Following its premiere, the film received mixed feedback, with critics "taking issue with the film's heavy use of CGI and numerous plot holes" while "celebrating its message of female empowerment and diversity."

In 2010, DuVernay produced three television documentaries. This was the first, two-hour concert film on television One Night Only: Live from the Essence Music Festival, a collection of live performances and behind-the-scenes vignettes. It premiered on TV One on August 28, 2010 and showcases the Essence Music Festival, the nation's biggest annual African-American entertainment festival. It was held in New Orleans on July 2–4 in 2010. My Mic Sounds Nice: A True Story About Women and Hip Hop, BET's first original music documentary, debuted in two days, a 41-minute history of female hip hop artists.

Essence Presents: Faith Through the Storm, DuVernay's 44-minute documentary special about two Black sisters who recovered their life after personal destruction after Hurricane Katrina. "It was done for a client in Essence." They wanted to know how faith aided them in their journey, and that was really important to them. So it is interspersed with gospel songs, photos of Katrina, their house, and family."

Venus Vs., a documentary about Venus Williams' struggle for equal prize money, was ordered by ESPN to produce and direct Venus Vs. This was supposed to be included in IX's film series Nine, which premiered on July 2, 2013.

The John Legend episode of HelloBeautiful Interludes Live, which premiered on television One on September 14, 2013, was also directed by DuVernay.

Scandal's eighth episode was also directed. On ABC, the episode, titled "Vermont is for Lovers, Too," premiered on November 21, 2013.

In 2015, DuVernay executive produced and directed the CBS civil rights drama pilot For Justice, starring Anika Noni Rose. It was not intended for export.

DuVernay revealed she would produce and executive produce Queen Sugar, based on Natalie Baszile's book.

On September 6, 2016, Queen Sugar premiered on Oprah Winfrey Network to critical acclaim. DuVernay produced four episodes and directed two others. The series was revived for a second season ahead of its television premiere on August 20, 2016; it aired on June 20 and June 21, 2017. On July 26, 2017, the series was revived for a third season. In August 2018, OWN revived the series for a fourth season, which premiered on June 12, 2019.

It was revealed on July 6, 2017, Netflix had granted When They See Us a series order of four episodes. DuVernay, a writer, co-writer, and director, produced the series. Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Rosenthal, and Berry Welsh are among the executive producers credited to Jeff Skoll. Participant Media, Harpo Films, and Tribeca Productions were among the film's production companies involved in the series. On May 31, 2019, the series premiered on Netflix. The miniseries received widespread acclaim on its debut.

The miniseries had over 23 million viewers in the first month after its premiere on Netflix, on June 25, 2019. Emmy Awards for writing, directing, and acting for actors and supporting actors were among the 16 nominations for this year.

In 2013, DuVernay joined Miu Miu as part of the Women's Tales film collection. Gabrielle Union and her reunited DuVernay actor Emayatzy Corinealdi appeared in her short film The Door. The film premiered online in February 2013 and was on display at the Venice Days sidebar of the 70th Venice International Film Festival in August.

Say Yes, DuVernay's second branded short film was also released on Vimeo in August 2013. The film was supported by cosmetic brand Fashion Fair, and Kali Hawk and Lance Gross starred Julie Dash, Victoria Mahoney, Lorraine Toussaint, and Issa Rae appeared as extras.

Apple Music and their ad agency Translation had recruited DuVernay to direct a series of three commercials starring Mary J. Blige, Taraji P. Henson, and Kerry Washington in 2015. On September 20, 2015, the first ad, Chapter 1, premiered during Fox's Emmy broadcast. Both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 debuted in November 2015 and February 2016.

"Family Feud," Jay-Z Beyoncé's "Family Feud" premiered on Tidal on December 29, 2017.

In 2010, DuVernay founded the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), her own business's attempt to distribute films made by or focusing on Black people. "Not so much a company, but a call to action," DuVernay says of AFFRM. Although DuVernay believes that strong film foundations are a priority, she has said that activism is the organization's driving force. The company rebranded itself under the name ARRAY in 2015, announcing a fresh focus on female filmmakers as well.

Forward Movement, a film and television production company, is also owned by DuVernay.

Part of the Sky, a narrative feature film starring Audrey Mitchell, was announced in Compton in 2013.

DuVernay would write, produce, and direct a fictional account of Hurricane Katrina that will center on "social and environmental" aspects of the storm, as well as a love tale and a murder mystery in 2015. David Oyelowo had been confirmed to be a member of the campaign.

In 2018, it was announced that DuVernay would direct a New Gods film for the DC Extended Universe. DuVernay and Tom King would co-write the film on May 29, 2019. By April 2021, the film was no longer moving forward.

DuVernay's estate would produce a biopic of his life for Netflix on October 29, 2018. DuVernay resigned as director in August 2019, but "creative differences" led to his departure as director.

In Black & White's sixth-episode series, created by Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick, titled Colin, focuses on Kaepernick's youth and various events in his life that have led him to him becoming the activist he is today.

According to news outlets, Ava DuVernay may have been co-producing and directing a Nipsey Hussle documentary for Netflix on February 11, 2020.

Caste, Isabel Wilkerson's book adaptation, was confirmed for Netflix in October 2020.

DuVernay introduced The Call-In, a collection of phone conversations between Black filmmakers of feature narrative and documentary film, which was released on September 13. DuVernay addresses her goals with The Call-In: "For people of color and women filmmakers, the biggest questions we get asked are about being a woman or a person of color." So we could just talk about craft in The Call-In was a space where we could just talk about craft."

At their 2013 Film Independent Form, a non-profit group that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, DuVernay delivered one of the Executive Keynote addresses for Film Independent, a three-day festival. She was one of two keynote speakers alongside Netflix's chief executive officer, Ted Sarandos.

In a keynote address at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, DuVernay spoke about her participation in Selma as the seventh person asked to direct Selma, but that it was just "a room in Los Angeles."

In February 2018, DuVernay, producer Dan Lin, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had introduced the Evolving Entertainment Fund, which was announced in February 2018. The fund's mission is to foster integration and provide a platform for under-served groups to pursue a dream in the entertainment industry.

DuVernay coproduced The Essentials, a weekly film series on Turner Classic Movies, with Ben Mankiewicz, since May 2019. On Saturday night, DuVernay appeared in wraparounds, including Marty, Ashes and Embers, Harlan County, USA, and La Pointe Courte.

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Awards, nominations, honors

• 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. 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 2017, DuVernay was the recipient of Smithsonian Magazine's American Ingenuity Award for Visual Arts.
• In 2018, DuVernay won Entertainer of the Year at the 49th NAACP Image Awards for her work in 2017.
• PETA declared DuVernay and actor Benedict Cumberbatch to be the Most Beautiful Vegan Celebs of 2018.
• In 2020, DuVernay was awarded the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.
• In 2021, DuVernay was given the Award for Cinematic Production of the Royal Photographic Society