Written by Catalina R. and Mia T.
Artwork by Khushi C.
Ava DuVernay is an inspiring and award winning African American female director who changed the film industry. She empowers people of color and women of all kinds.
She was born on August 24, 1972. Ava has four siblings, she was raised by her mother and stepfather. She grew up in Lynwood, California.
In 1990, DuVernay graduated from Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood, California and then went to the University of California. She earned degrees in English and African American studies. DuVernay has won many awards including the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2013, a BAFTA Award for Best Documentary in 2017, PGA Visionary Vanguard Award in 2018, and the Glamour Award for The Trailblazer in 2019.
In 2005, Ava decided to spend over $6,000 to make her first film. She created her first film named “Saturday Night Life”. Her famous notable projects include “Selma”, “13th” and “When They See Us”. Ava is best known by younger audiences for her movie “A Wrinkle in Time” released in 2018. Ava encourages the work of her non-profit film collective ARRAY, which was awarded one of Fast Company's Most Innovative. DuVernay is a strong advocate for people of color and women of all kinds.
Ava DuVernay is the very first African-American woman to accomplish quite a few hurdles in the entertainment industry. She was the first to win Best Director at the Sundance Picture Festival. She was the first to be recognized for Best Director Golden Globe. She was the first to direct a Best Picture Oscar nominee and direct a film with a budget of more than $100 million.
Ava is fighting for change on and off screen. Ava created a mini-series called “When They See Us” that deals with the injustices that black people face when they are stopped by the police. DuVernay directed a diverse community of actors in shows about civil rights protests and social justice concerns. DuVernay, along with her media company ARRAY are starting the Law Enforcement Accountability Project in honor of George Floyd’s death. That included funding jobs for black and female artists that are focusing on police violence.
DuVernay believes that we are the future of tomorrow and we should consider who is writing history! Ava DuVernay is an amazing female African American director who has done so much to bring awareness to African American and women's rights and change the entertainment industry to what it is today.
“I think any black woman is a queen. It's just, do you know it? Do you see it in yourself? Do you recognize it, do you abide by that, do you define yourself as that? Based on who we are and what we've been through and how we survive and where we stand, we are on kind of sacred ground. We stand on the backs of our ancestors.” -Ava DuVernay
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