Ava DuVernay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ava DuVernay
DuVernay in 2018
Born	Ava Marie DuVernay (1972-08-24) August 24, 1972 (age 52) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Director producer screenwriter film publicist

Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She creates movies and TV shows. She has won many awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and two BAFTA Awards. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In 2011, she started her own company, ARRAY, to help distribute independent films.

Ava DuVernay made her first movie, I Will Follow, in 2010. Her second movie, Middle of Nowhere, won her a directing award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. This made her the first Black woman to win that award.

She directed Selma (2014), a film about Martin Luther King Jr.. For this movie, she was the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Her other important films include the Netflix documentary 13th (2016), which was nominated for an Academy Award. She also directed the Disney fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time (2018). This made her the first African-American woman to direct a movie with a budget of $100 million. In 2023, she directed Origin, a movie based on a book about the idea of caste.

On television, DuVernay created the drama series Queen Sugar (2016) for the OWN. She also made two Netflix series: When They See Us (2019), about a famous case from 1989, and Colin in Black & White (2021), about the teenage years of NFL player Colin Kaepernick.

In 2017, Time magazine named Ava DuVernay one of the most influential people in the world. In 2020, she joined the board of governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Ava DuVernay's Early Life and Education

Ava Marie DuVernay was born on August 24, 1972, in Long Beach, California. Her mother, Darlene, was an educator. Ava grew up in Lynwood, California, with her four siblings.

During her summer breaks, she often visited her stepfather's childhood home near Selma, Alabama. These trips later inspired her film Selma. Her father had even seen the historic Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.

Ava graduated from Saint Joseph High School in 1990. She then went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, she studied English literature and African-American studies. She is also an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Ava DuVernay's Career Journey

Starting Out in Film and PR (1991–2008)

Ava DuVernay didn't start making films until she was 32 years old. Her first interest was journalism. She even had an internship with CBS News covering the O.J. Simpson murder trial. However, she soon decided to work in public relations (PR). She worked for companies like 20th Century Fox before starting her own PR firm, The DuVernay Agency (DVAPR), in 1999.

Through DVAPR, she helped promote many movies and TV shows. These included films like Spy Kids, Shrek 2, and Dreamgirls.

In 2005, DuVernay used $6,000 to make her first short film, Saturday Night Life. This 12-minute film was inspired by her mother's experiences. It showed an uplifting trip by a single mother and her kids to a discount grocery store. The film was shown at many festivals and on Showtime.

Next, DuVernay explored making documentaries. These films are often less expensive to make. In 2007, she directed the short film Compton in C Minor. The next year, she made her first full-length documentary, This Is the Life. This film was about the history of an arts movement in Los Angeles. It won awards at several film festivals.

Breaking Through with Films (2010–2013)

DuVernay at the 2010 AFI Film Festival

In 2010, DuVernay directed three TV documentaries. One was a concert film called TV One Night Only: Live from the Essence Music Festival. Another was My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop, about female hip hop artists. She also made Essence Presents: Faith Through the Storm, about two sisters who survived Hurricane Katrina.

I Will Follow In 2011, DuVernay released her first story-based movie, I Will Follow. This drama starred Salli Richardson-Whitfield. The film was inspired by DuVernay's aunt, who had breast cancer. DuVernay spent $50,000 to make the movie in just 14 days. Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the best films I've seen about coming to terms with the death of a loved one." After this film, DuVernay fully left her PR job to focus on filmmaking.

Middle of Nowhere In 2011, DuVernay started making her second story-based movie, Middle of Nowhere. She had written the script in 2003 but couldn't find money to make it then. The film was inspired by her own experiences growing up. It tells the story of a woman whose husband is in prison. The movie shows how families of incarcerated people are also affected by the system.

The film first showed at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in January. DuVernay won the U.S. Directing Award for Drama. She was the first African-American woman to win this award. She also won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2012.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture asked DuVernay to create a film about African-American history. Her film, August 28: A Day in the Life of a People, explores six historical events that happened on August 28 in different years. It includes events like the UK Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 and Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech in 1963. The film debuted when the museum opened in 2016.

The "DuVernay test" is a way to look at how people of color are shown in movies. It asks if Black people and other minorities have full, important lives in the story, or if they are just in the background of white characters' stories. This test helps point out the lack of diversity in Hollywood movies.

In 2013, DuVernay made a short film called The Door for Miu Miu's Women's Tales series. She also directed Say Yes, a short film sponsored by a cosmetic brand. ESPN asked her to direct Venus Vs., a documentary about Venus Williams's fight for equal prize money in tennis. DuVernay also directed an episode of the TV series Scandal in 2013.

Selma

DuVernay in 2015

Ava DuVernay directed Selma, a drama film with a $20 million budget. The movie is about Martin Luther King Jr., President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights. The film was released on December 25, 2014, and received great reviews. DuVernay said that Selma was the first major movie to focus on King's true character. She rewrote much of the original script to highlight King and the people of Selma.

Selma was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Song at the 2014 Academy Awards. However, DuVernay was not nominated for Best Director. Many people talked about the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations that year. The song "Glory" from Selma won Best Original Song. DuVernay said she wasn't bothered by not being nominated as director, but she was disappointed that David Oyelowo, who played King, wasn't nominated for Best Actor.

After Selma, DuVernay was offered the chance to direct Marvel's Black Panther. However, she decided not to. She explained that she and Marvel had different ideas about the story. She still supported the project and was excited to see the movie.

In 2015, Apple Music hired DuVernay to direct a series of commercials starring Mary J. Blige, Taraji P. Henson, and Kerry Washington. She also executive produced and directed a TV pilot called For Justice, but it was not picked up as a series. That same year, DuVernay announced she would create and executive produce the drama series Queen Sugar, based on a novel. Queen Sugar premiered in 2016 on the Oprah Winfrey Network and was very popular. DuVernay wrote four episodes and directed two. The series was renewed for several more seasons.

Expanding Her Work (2016–Present)

Ava DuVernay at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival in 2018

13th In July 2016, it was announced that 13th, a documentary directed by DuVernay, would open the New York Film Festival. The film is about race in the United States criminal justice system. Its title refers to the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which ended slavery (except as punishment for a crime). DuVernay's documentary argues that slavery has continued through the high number of people of color in prison. The film features many important activists and public figures.

13th was released on Netflix on October 7, 2016. It received excellent reviews from critics. In 2017, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. This made DuVernay the first Black woman to be nominated by the Academy as a director in a feature category. The film also won a Peabody Award.

A Wrinkle in Time In 2016, DuVernay was confirmed to direct Disney's film A Wrinkle in Time, based on the 1962 novel. This made her the first African-American woman to direct a live-action film with a budget over $100 million. The film was released in March 2018. It earned $33 million in its first weekend. While the film received mixed reviews, it was praised for its message of female empowerment and diversity.

When They See Us On July 6, 2017, Netflix ordered the production of When They See Us, a four-episode series. DuVernay created, executive produced, co-wrote, and directed the series. It premiered on Netflix on May 31, 2019. The series received widespread praise. Within its first month, over 23 million viewers streamed it. It also received 16 Emmy nominations.

Origin In October 2020, her next film, Origin, was announced. It is based on Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. DuVernay was the first African American woman to have a film compete for the Golden Lion award there. The film received great reviews.

Future Projects

DuVernay has several projects in development. These include a film about Hurricane Katrina and a series with Colin Kaepernick called Colin in Black & White, which focuses on his youth.

Ava DuVernay's Production Company

In 2010, Ava DuVernay started her own company called African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM). This company was created to distribute films made by or about Black people. DuVernay sees AFFRM as a "call to action" to help Black filmmakers share their stories. In 2015, the company changed its name to ARRAY and also began focusing on films by women filmmakers.

DuVernay also owns Forward Movement, a company that produces films and television shows.

Podcasts and Public Speaking

In September 2013, DuVernay started a podcast series called The Call-In. It featured phone conversations with Black filmmakers. DuVernay wanted a space where these filmmakers could talk about their craft, not just about being a woman or a person of color.

In 2013, DuVernay gave a keynote speech at the Film Independent Forum. She shared her experiences and goals for filmmaking.

At the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, DuVernay gave another keynote address. She mentioned that she was the seventh person asked to direct Selma. She also talked about her experience at the 2015 Oscars.

In February 2018, DuVernay helped launch the Evolve Entertainment Fund. This fund aims to promote inclusion and provide opportunities for people from under-served communities to work in the entertainment industry.

Since May 2019, DuVernay has co-hosted The Essentials, a weekly film series on Turner Classic Movies. She discusses a variety of films on the show.

Ava DuVernay's Filmography

Movies

Executive Producer

• The White Tiger (2021)

Short Films

Documentary Films

Television Work

Documentary Series

Commercials

Music Video

Awards, Nominations, and Honors

DuVernay with her Peabody Award for 13th in 2017

• In 2012, Variety magazine recognized DuVernay in its Women's Impact Report.
• In June 2013, she was invited to join both the director's and writer's branches of the AMPAS. She was only the second Black woman invited to the director's branch.
• DuVernay was the first person to receive the Tribeca Film Institute's Heineken Affinity Award. She donated the $20,000 prize to ARRAY, her film collective.
• In June 2015, DuVernay received the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award from Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards.
• In April 2015, Mattel chose DuVernay as one of its "Sheros." A special Barbie doll was made to look like her. This doll was auctioned for charity. Later, a collectible version was made and sold due to high demand.
• In 2016, Oprah Winfrey included DuVernay on her SuperSoul 100 list of 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, she received the American Ingenuity Award for Visual Arts from Smithsonian Magazine.
• In 2018, DuVernay won Entertainer of the Year at the 49th NAACP Image Awards.
• PETA named DuVernay and actor Benedict Cumberbatch the Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities of 2018.
• In 2019, DuVernay's first name was the answer to a clue in a Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle.
• In 2020, DuVernay received the The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize.
• In 2021, she was given the Award for Cinematic Production by the Royal Photographic Society.
• In 2024, the Los Angeles Times featured DuVernay in its "L.A. Influential" series.
• In 2024, DuVernay was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Images for kids

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  DuVernay in 2018

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  DuVernay at the 2010 AFI Film Festival

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  DuVernay in 2015

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  Ava DuVernay at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival in 2018

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  DuVernay with her Peabody Award for 13th in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Ava DuVernay para niños