Ava DuVernay

Director

August 24, 1972 (53 years)

Long Beach, California, USA

Biography

Ava Marie DuVernay (/ˌdjuːvərˈneɪ/; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In 2011, she founded her independent distribution company ARRAY. After making her directorial debut with I Will Follow (2010), DuVernay won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundan…

Filmography

8.2

When They See Us

Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park.

7.7

Queen Sugar

Two sisters, Nova Bordelon and Charley Bordelon, with her teenage son Micah moves to the heart of Louisiana to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father - an 800-acre sugarcane farm.

6.5

Colin in Black and White

The life of athlete Colin Kaepernick and his adoptive parents as they navigate the challenges of raising a black son in a white family and community.

5.6

DMZ

In the near future after a bitter civil war leaves Manhattan a demilitarized zone (DMZ), destroyed and isolated from the rest of the world, fierce medic Alma Ortega sets out on a harrowing journey to find the son she lost in the evacuation of New York City at the onset of the conflict. Standing in her way are gangs, militias, demagogues and warlords, including Parco Delgado, the popular — and deadly — leader of one of the most powerful gangs in the DMZ.

7.4

Selma

"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

5.1

A Wrinkle in Time

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.

7.8

13th

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

6.2

Origin

While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.

2.5

Family Feud

Jay-Z aims to unite the new and older generations of rap fans, while also reflecting on his own infidelity.

5.7

Nine for IX

Nine for IX is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title IX. The documentaries are being produced by ESPN Films in conjunction with espnW, and are intended to have the same creative, story-driven aspect that ESPN Films' other series, 30 for 30, has, with the series focusing on captivating stories of women in sports told through the lens of female filmmakers. The first film, Venus Vs., premiered on July 2, 2013.

4.8

I Will Follow

Chronicles a day in the life of a grieving woman, and the twelve visitors who help her move forward.

6.0

Middle of Nowhere

When her husband is sentenced to eight years in prison, Ruby drops out of medical school in order to focus on her husband's well-being while he's incarcerated - leading her on a journey of self-discovery in the process.

1.0

August 28: A Day in the Life of a People

Documentary film on events that happened on August 28th in African-American history, shown at the Smithsonian African-American History Museum.

4.0

Venus VS.

We know about the swing. We know about the swagger. But what most Americans don't know about Venus Williams is how she changed the course of her sport. In a stunning case that captured the European public beginning in 2005, Williams challenged the long-held practice of paying women tennis players less than their male counterparts at Wimbledon. With a deep sense of obligation to the legacy of Billie Jean King, Williams lobbied British Parliament, UNESCO and Fleet Street for financial parity. And it was her poignant op-ed piece in The London Times that convinced many people that the Wimbledon tournament organizers were "on the wrong side of history." Roland Garros and Wimbledon finally relented in 2007. That year at Wimbledon, Venus became the first women's champion to earn as much as the men's singles winner (Roger Federer). VENUS VS. chronicles Williams' fight for pay equality.

1.0

Saturday Night Life

Writer-director Ava DuVernay's short drama concerns a poor, struggling single mother whose trip with her three children to a 99-cent store in Los Angeles becomes an unexpectedly uplifting family experience. Melissa DeSousa ("The Best Man") stars.

3.5

My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop

Ava DuVernay focuses on the history of female MCs in the hip hop industry in this short documentary that features Missy Elliott, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve, Jean Grae, Roxanne Shante, Trina, The Lady of Rage, and many more.

5.8

This Is the Life

In 1989, a collective of young hip hop artists gathered at a health food café in South Central Los Angeles. Their mandate? To reject gang culture and expand the musical boundaries of hip hop. DuVernay's documentary chronicles the historic legacy of the Good Life Cafe — the open mic nights that became an L.A. institution, the eclectic array of talented young MCs that emerged there, the alternative hip hop movement they developed, and their worldwide influence on the artform.

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