Ava DuVernay is a writer, producer, director, and distributor of independent film.

Winner of the Emmy, BAFTA and Peabody Awards, Academy Award nominee DuVernay's directorial work includes the historical drama Selma, the criminal justice documentary 13th and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made her the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history.

DuVernay made her directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed 2008 hip hop documentary, This is the Life and has directed several network documentaries, including Venus Vs. for ESPN. She has directed significant short form work including August 28: The Day in the Life of A People commissioned by The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as acclaimed fashion and beauty films for Fashion Fair and Prada.

Prior to filmmaking, DuVernay worked as a marketer and publicist for 14 years. Her award-winning firm provided strategy and execution for more than 120 film and television campaigns for acclaimed directors such as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann, and Bill Condon.

‎In 2017, DuVernay was named one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Greatest World Leaders.‎ A graduate of UCLA, she is the founder of Array, a grassroots distribution and advocacy collective dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women which was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.

DuVernay is also the founder of AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She is also a board member for both Film Independent and the Sundance Institute.

In 2019, fashion label Prada announced DuVernay, alongside activist Theaster Gates, will be co-chair of the Prada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. Also in 2019, DuVernay created, directed, and co-wrote the Netflix miniseries, "When They See Us," chronicling the stories of the five falsely accused teenagers in the infamous 1989 Central Park jogger case. The film is critically acclaimed and has shone a light on the human aspects of the case, and experiences of being a person of color in America.

In 2020, DuVernay was invited to join other black leaders, including Oprah Winfrey and Nikole Hannah-Jones to join a panel on George Floyd's death. The two-night special, “OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?” aired on all 19 U.S. Discovery cable channels. DuVernay was a part of the 2021 Forbes Power Women's Summit.

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