American director, producer, screenwriter, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay was born Ava Marie DuVernay.
Ava DuVernay Biography
DuVernay earned a degree in English and African American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Before deciding to pursue a career in public relations, she initially pursued a career in journalism, working for numerous publications like CBS News and Fox.
DuVernay established The DuVernay Agency, her own marketing and PR firm, in 2006. She later changed careers, writing and directing “I Will Follow,” her debut feature film, in 2010.
For her 2012 film “Middle of Nowhere,” which earned the Best Director prize at the Sundance Film Festival, DuVernay received praise from the critics.
She was the first black woman to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director in 2014 for her work on the Martin Luther King Jr. film “Selma,” for which she received the nomination.
Ava DuVernay Age
DuVernay was born on August 24, 1972 in Long Beach, California, U.S. She is [agecalc birthdate=1972-08-24]
Ava DuVernay Family
Her father, Murray Maye, was a businessman and electrician, and her mother, Darlene Maye, was a teacher. When she was a small child, her parents got divorced, leaving her mother to raise her and her siblings alone.
DuVernay’s family has always been very encouraging of her artistic pursuits. Her aunt exposed her to the world of movies and television, while her mother encouraged her to read and write.
DuVernay says that the stories told to her by her grandmother and other relatives influenced her and attributes her passion of storytelling to her family’s oral history tradition.
The influence of her family’s past on DuVernay’s work as a director, particularly her interest in examining the lives of African Americans and other oppressed communities, has also been discussed in public.
Ava DuVernay Husband
DuVernay is not wed and is single at the moment.
Ava DuVernay Children
There are no biological offspring of Ava DuVernay.
Ava DuVernay Career
DuVernay began her career as a publicist before switching to filmmaking in the early 2000s. She has established herself as a leading personality in Hollywood and is recognized for her work on both independent and commercially successful projects.
“Middle of Nowhere,” which had its world premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and took home the festival’s directorial prize, was DuVernay’s breakthrough picture. After that, she directed the civil rights drama “Selma” in 2014, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
The critically praised Netflix series “13th,” which explores the relationship between racism, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States, was conceived and directed by DuVernay in 2016. The show was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won a Peabody Award.
The Disney fantasy film “A Wrinkle in Time” and the limited series “When They See Us,” which chronicles the tale of the Central Park Five case, are among DuVernay’s most recent works.
Throughout her career, DuVernay has been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in the film industry. She is the founder of ARRAY, a film distribution company that focuses on promoting the work of people of color and women filmmakers.
In 2020, she was named the first Black woman to receive the prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award from The Hollywood Reporter.
Ava DuVernay Documentaries
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is well-known for her work as a producer, director, and screenwriter. Although she is well known for her narrative movies like “Selma” and “A Wrinkle in Time,” she has also made substantial contributions to the documentary genre. Ava DuVernay has produced or directed the following significant documentaries:
13th (2016): Ava DuVernay’s critically praised documentary “13th” examines racial injustice in the American criminal justice system. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery except as a penalty for crime, is examined in the video along with its historical background and ramifications.
This Is the Life – 2008
“The Central Park Five” (2012): Produced by Ava DuVernay, this documentary was directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon. It details the 1989 Central Park jogger case, in which five Black and Latino adolescents were initially found guilty of a vicious assault in New York City’s Central Park but were eventually found not guilty.
“Venus Vs.” (2013): This ESPN documentary, which was directed by Ava DuVernay, focuses on Venus Williams’ campaign for equal pay for women in sports. Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop – 2010
Half the Picture
13th: A Conversation with Oprah Winfrey & Ava DuVernay
August 28th – 2017
Life Itself – 2017
Ava DuVernay Net Worth
The former publicist and award-winning filmmaker is thought to be worth $60 million.
Ava DuVernay Movies
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is well-known for her work as a producer, director, and screenwriter. She has overseen the production of several well-known films and served as their director. The following movies feature Ava DuVernay:
Middle of Nowhere (2012): Ava DuVernay’s drama “Middle of Nowhere” is written and directed about a lady who must balance her own personal development with dealing with her husband’s incarceration. The movie took home the Sundance Film Festival’s Directing Award.
Selma (2014) : Ava DuVernay’s historical drama “Selma” portrays the circumstances behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. The movie garnered favorable reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
When They See Us (2019): is a critically acclaimed limited series that Ava DuVernay conceived, co-wrote, and directed even though it is not a film. The Central Park Five were a group of young Black and Latino males who were wrongfully convicted of a crime in 1989 in New York City, and their tale is told in the book.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018): Ava DuVernay’s fantasy adventure movie “A Wrinkle in Time” is based on the well-known Madeleine L’Engle children’s book of the same name. The story of the film centers on a little girl who sets out on an interdimensional trip in search of her lost father. Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling are among the cast members.
Ava DuVernay TV Shows
She has starred in a couple of TV shows, some of which include:
Queen Sugar (2016-ongoing)
When They See Us (2019)
Cherish the Day (2020-ongoing)
Colin in Black & White (2021)
