Ava DuVernay, was born in Long Beach, California, and raised near Compton with her family. She did not pick up a camera until the age of 32.
After completing high school, DuVernay pursued her education at UCLA, earning degrees in English and African American studies. Her initial interest in broadcast journalism led her to intern at CBS News during the O.J. Simpson trial, where she found herself assigned to watch the home of a jury member. Shifting gears, she entered the publicity industry and eventually established her own public relations company, The DuVernay Agency, in 1999.
While working on campaigns for movies and television shows, The exposure ignited her interest in directing, she began writing her first script in 2003. Her second feature film, “Middle of Nowhere,” premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and earned her the award for Best Direction.
In 2010, DuVernay founded her own film distribution company, initially named African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), rebranded in 2015 as ARRAY, with a focus on promoting racial and gender inclusion in filmmaking.
Her films “Selma” and “13th” garnered critical acclaim and multiple awards for their powerful portrayal of racial prejudice in the United States. Collaborating with Oprah Winfrey, she created and directed the TV series “Queen Sugar” on the Oprah Winfrey Network and the Disney live-action film “A Wrinkle in Time.”
In 2019, DuVernay continued to make waves with the creation, direction, and co-writing of the Netflix drama “When They See Us,” a five-part miniseries based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case. The series quickly became Netflix’s number one most-watched series daily in the U.S., boasting over 23 million viewers during its first month of release and earning 16 Emmy nominations at the 71st Emmy Awards.
She is the first African American female director to receive a Golden Globe nomination and have a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Additionally, she also is the first woman of color to direct a live-action $100 million movie.
Go tap in with her new movie "Origin" currently in theaters.
HELLA INSPIRED.
