Ava DuVernay

Ava Marie DuVernay, born on August 24, 1972, is a prominent American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer known for her impactful storytelling and advocacy for representation in cinema. She has garnered several prestigious accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award. Additionally, she received nominations for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

DuVernay made her directorial debut with "I Will Follow" in 2010 and achieved significant recognition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where she became the first Black woman to win the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition for her second feature, "Middle of Nowhere." Her acclaimed biopic "Selma" (2014), which chronicles the life of Martin Luther King Jr., marked her as the first African-American woman nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Director, and the film itself was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

In addition to her notable films like the Academy Award-nominated documentary "13th" (2016) and the Disney fantasy "A Wrinkle in Time" (2018)—which made her the first African-American woman to helm a $100 million film—DuVernay has made her mark in television with projects such as "Queen Sugar" (2016) and the limited series "When They See Us" (2019) and "Colin in Black & White" (2021). Recognized as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2017, she was elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board of governors in 2020. In 2023, she directed the biographical film "Origin," inspired by Isabel Wilkerson's book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents."