Ashley Avis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashley Avis
Portrait by Alexandra Petruck
Born	(1987-01-27) 27 January 1987 (age 39) Chicago, Illinois
Alma mater	Manhattan College
Occupation	Film director screenwriter editor producer
Years active	2009–present
Spouse(s)	Edward Winters ​ (m. 2015)​

Ashley Avis (born January 27, 1987) is an American filmmaker. She is known for writing, directing, editing, and producing movies. Her most famous films include Disney's Black Beauty from 2020 and the documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West. This documentary was even nominated for a Critics Choice award.

Ashley Avis is also a journalist and author. Her work has appeared in well-known magazines like Rolling Stone.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Florida

Ashley Avis was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 27, 1987. Her parents are Richard Avis and Victoria Woods. She has one younger brother, also named Richard. When Ashley was five years old, her family moved from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida. She grew up there and was a competitive horse rider from age seven to seventeen. She competed in hunter/jumper events in Florida.

Dreams of Becoming a Writer

Ashley always wanted to be a writer. She thought she would become an author who wrote books for young adults. She went to college in New York at Manhattan College in Riverdale. She studied International Business and Marketing and finished her degree in three years, graduating in 2008.

During her college years, she worked in different jobs. She was a real estate agent and a web designer. She also worked as a journalist at Nielsen Media, where she was later promoted to a regional editor. After trying out theater in Manhattan, she became interested in writing screenplays for movies.

Career in Filmmaking

Starting in Los Angeles

In 2009, Ashley Avis moved from New York to Los Angeles, California. She saved money to create her first TV pilot, which is a test episode for a TV series. It was called The Cynical Life. Since she didn't have money to hire a producer or director, she decided to do those jobs herself. Her project caught the attention of Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra. He helped produce three episodes. After that, Ashley directed and produced a classical music documentary called Opus X.

Founding Alchemy Pictures

Ashley Avis started her own production company, Alchemy Pictures, in 2010. She began directing and producing commercials for big companies. Some of her clients included Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and Pfizer.

Directing Feature Films

In 2015, Ashley Avis directed her first full-length movie, a psychological thriller called Deserted. She also wrote the story and produced the film. In 2016, she directed her second movie, Adolescence. This was a coming-of-age story starring actors like India Eisley and Elisabeth Rohm. The film also featured music by Zac Brown Band member John Driskell Hopkins.

In 2016, Ashley won the Mercedes-Benz award at the Bokeh South African International Film Festival for her film Bespoke. In 2018, she worked with Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman on Being and Nothingness.

Wild Beauty and Black Beauty

In 2019, Ashley Avis started working on a documentary project that would take five years to complete. This film became Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West.

In 2020, she wrote, directed, and edited Black Beauty for Disney+ and Constantin Film. This movie was based on Anna Sewell's famous book and starred Oscar winner Kate Winslet, Mackenzie Foy, and Iain Glen.

From 2022 to 2023, her documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West was shown at film festivals. The movie aims to raise awareness about the wild horses disappearing from public lands in the Western United States. Wild Beauty first premiered at the Breckenridge Film Festival in 2022. In 2023, Ashley Avis received a special award from Congresswoman Dina Titus for her work to help America's horses. The film was nominated for a Critics Choice award in 2023 and was considered a strong contender for the 2024 Oscars by magazines like Variety and Hollywood Reporter.

Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West has won several awards at film festivals. These include "Best Documentary" at the 2022 Boston Film Festival and "Best Documentary" at the 2022 St. Louis International Film Festival. Ashley also won "Best Director" for the film at DOCLA in 2022.

Recent Projects

In July 2024, Ashley Avis was chosen to write and direct American Wolf for Apple Original Films. This movie is based on a book by Nate Blakeslee. The film will be produced by Appian Way, a company led by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Ashley Avis is also set to write and direct a new version of the movie City of Angels for Warner Bros. She recently became the first Western woman to direct a movie in Saudi Arabia, a film called "The Lamb."

Philanthropy and Horse Advocacy

After making the film Black Beauty, Ashley Avis started a non-profit organization called The Wild Beauty Foundation. This foundation helps rescue wild and domestic horses that need help. It also raises awareness through films and educational programs for children.

In 2021, she started "A Day With a Horse" for patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She has also spoken to children across the country, encouraging them to protect the environment. She teaches them how to write letters to their Members of Congress to help wild horses. In 2022, a wild horse that Ashley rescued was adopted by Black Beauty star Mackenzie Foy. Mackenzie Foy is also an Ambassador for The Wild Beauty Foundation.

Personal Life

Ashley Avis met her husband and producing partner, Edward Winters, in 2013. They got engaged in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. They were married on June 6, 2015.

Filmography