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Ava DuVernay

Film Director / Writer / Screenwriter / Film Producer / Showrunner / Television Producer | * 08/24/1972 (51) | Long Beach, California (United States of America (USA))
Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, film and television producer. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee of an Academy Award and Golden Globe. In 2011 she founded her independent distribution company ARRAY. After making her directoral debut, I Will Follow (2010), DuVernay won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award. For her work on Selma (2014), a biopic about Martin Luther King Jr., DuVernay became the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director; the film went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her other film credits include the Academy Award-nominated Netflix ()
Photo of Ava DuVernay

Ava Marie DuVernay (born August 24, 1972) is an American director, screenwriter, producer, and former rapper. In the 1990s, DuVernay was active in the Los Angeles underground hip hop scene, performing under the names AvA and Eve, and as one half of the duo Figures of Speech with fellow female MC Ronda Ross (aka Jyant). DuVernay's debut film, music documentary "This Is the Life" (2008), chronicled the rise and enduring influence of the scene of which she had been a part, focusing on its epicenter at the famous open mic nights in the Good Life Cafe, where many major west coast underground hip hop artists got their starts. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, DuVernay won the Best Director Prize for her second feature film "Middle of Nowhere", becoming the first African-American woman to win the award. For her work on "Selma" (2014), DuVernay was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and also the first to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, though she was not nominated for Best Director. In 2017, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her political documentary "13th" (2016).

Most frequent genres for this person: Documentaries | Drama | Talk-Shows

Known for these Movies & Shows

Awards & Nominations for Ava DuVernay

Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award Directing Award Dramatic Time 100 International Emmy Founders Award Vh1 Trailblazer Honors
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Movies with Ava DuVernay as Actress(11)

TV Shows/Series with Ava DuVernay as Actress(12)

as Self - Director2022 One Perfect Shot
as herself2020 Dear…
as Self - Guest2019 Tamron Hall
as Self - Illustrious Guest2019 Desus & Mero
as herself2018 Shine On with Reese
as herself2016 Chelsea
as herself2012 Finding Your Roots
as Self - Guest1997 The View
as herself1996 The Daily Show

Movies with Ava DuVernay as Crew(38)

Directing/Director2023 Origin
Production/Producer2023 Origin
Writing/Writer2023 Origin
Production/Producer2021 The White Tiger
Production/Executive Producer2021 The White Tiger
Production/Executive Producer2020 A Concerto Is a Conversation
Production/Executive Producer2020 And She Could Be Next
Directing/Director2018 A Wrinkle in Time
Production/Executive Producer2016 Black America Again
Directing/Director2016 13th
Production/Producer2016 13th
Writing/Writer2016 13th
Directing/Director2015 For Justice
Production/Executive Producer2015 For Justice
Directing/Director2014 Selma
Production/Executive Producer2014 Selma
Writing/Writer2014 Selma
Production/Associate Producer2013 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film
Directing/Director2013 The Door
Production/Producer2013 The Door
Writing/Writer2013 The Door
Directing/Director2013 Venus VS.
Directing/Director2012 Middle of Nowhere
Production/Producer2012 Middle of Nowhere
Writing/Writer2012 Middle of Nowhere
Production/Executive Producer2010 My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop
Directing/Director2010 I Will Follow
Production/Producer2010 I Will Follow
Writing/Writer2010 I Will Follow
Directing/Director2009 Compton in C Minor
Directing/Director2008 This Is the Life
Production/Producer2008 This Is the Life
Directing/Director2006 Saturday Night Life

TV Shows/Series with Ava DuVernay as Crew(24)

Production/Executive Producer2022 Naomi
Writing/Teleplay2022 Naomi
Writing/Writer2022 Naomi
Creator/Creator2022 Naomi
Production/Executive Producer2022 One Perfect Shot
Creator/Creator2022 One Perfect Shot
Directing/Director2022 DMZ
Production/Executive Producer2022 DMZ
Creator/Creator2021 Home Sweet Home
Production/Executive Producer2021 Colin in Black and White
Directing/Director2021 Colin in Black and White
Creator/Creator2021 Colin in Black and White
Production/Executive Producer2020 Cherish the Day
Writing/Writer2020 Cherish the Day
Creator/Creator2020 Cherish the Day
Production/Executive Producer2019 The Red Line
Writing/Story2019 When They See Us
Production/Executive Producer2019 When They See Us
Directing/Director2019 When They See Us
Writing/Teleplay2019 When They See Us
Creator/Creator2019 When They See Us
Directing/Director2016 Queen Sugar
Creator/Creator2016 Queen Sugar
Directing/Director2013 Nine for IX

Additional Information

Full Name: Ava DuVernay
Born: Thursday, 08/24 1972 (August) in Long Beach, California (United States of America (USA)) (current age: 51 years + 217 days)
Zodiac sign: Virgo (Chinese zodiac sign: Rat)
Languages: English (EN)
Educated at: University of California, Los Angeles
Member of: Alpha Kappa Alpha
Other names for Ava DuVernay (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"Ava Marie DuVernay"
"AvA"
"Eve"
Ava DuVernay frequently works together with these people:
Spencer Averick (13x, Crew)
Jon Stewart (10x, Actor)
Samuel L. Jackson (9x, Actor)
John Lithgow (9x, Actor)
Anthony Anderson (9x, Actor)
Nick Kroll (9x, Actor)
Chelsea Handler (9x, Actress)
Billy Porter (9x, Actor)
Reese Witherspoon (8x, Actress)
Oprah Winfrey (8x, Actress)
Michael Strahan (8x, Actor)
Issa Rae (8x, Actress)
WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:26375, Added: 05/08/2018, Last updated: 02/28/2024