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There are always a few women that come to mind when you think of the word “trailblazer” — and if Ava DuVernay isn’t already at the top of that list for you, allow us to explain why she absolutely should be. Born Aug. 24, 1972, in Long Beach, California, DuVernay didn’t have a clear path to filmmaking like many others in her childhood, but that only made her work and work ethic more powerful. Today, DuVernay is known as an award-winning director, writer, producer, film distributor, and advocate, and the story of how her career came together is possibly even more inspiring than her incredible library of work.
Within less than 15 years since her directorial debut, DuVernay has made ground-breaking films and shows like MLK biopic Selma, Central Park Five series When They See Us,indie drama Middle of Nowhere, and documentary 13th, about America’s racist prison system, to name a few. Not only have these films snagged her a few history-making nominations, but they’ve amplified under-served voices and stories throughout.
In a previous interview with Slant, when asked about her inclination to look to the past for answers and to use history for storytelling, DuVernay said this about the ethos behind her filmmaking: “A crucial element for storytelling around issues that affect the present moment is that I think we work from a place of ignorance if you don’t know the historical context of the thing that you’re talking about.”
She added, “We’re in the dark, and if you don’t know how you got here, how could you ever get out? Truly. So, for me, it just doesn’t make any sense to do anything else. That’s what I felt Selma was.”
From history-making nominations to eye-opening clap backs, there’s a lot to know about filmmaker DuVernay. Let’s look through some of the top things to know about her below.
She Began as a Journalist
Ava DuVernay originally went to school for broadcast journalism. During her time at UCLA, she was a double major in English literature and African-American studies. After graduating, she snagged an internship with CBS News, with one of her first assignments being to cover the infamous O. J. Simpson murder trial. While this may have seemed like a dream come true for budding journalists, DuVernay decided journalism wasn’t for her. But she went down another avenue before filmmaking.
Middle of Nowhere Was Her Breakout Film
Ava DuVernay is the definition of a trailblazing filmmaker and director. Back in 2012, the trajectory of her career shifted forever when she won the directing award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her filmMiddle of Nowhere, which follows a woman at a crossroads in life between supporting her incarcerated husband and moving on. By winning this, she became the first black woman to win the award.
Along with that, she became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture ― all for her groundbreaking film Selma, a historical drama about the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches.
She Was a Public Relations Superstar
After saying goodbye to journalism, Ava DuVernay transitioned into a successful career in public relations. For a few years, she worked with brands like 20th Century Fox and Savoy Pictures before opening her own agency in 1999 called The DuVernay Agency (DVAPR).
DVAPR worked on promoting projects like Spy Kids, Shrek 2, The Terminal, and Dreamgirls, to name a few. Back in 2015, DuVernay told Real Simple, “I transitioned from a career that was going quite well. For 12 years, I’d been publicizing other people’s films through my own marketing company.” Then she fell in love with filmmaking herself.
Her Family Influenced Her Work
That’s right, Ava DuVernay didn’t start filmmaking until her early 30s, determined to create films telling stories of people of color. She created her first film back in 2008, a hip-hop documentary called This Is the Life. DuVernay noted this love and passion for activism actually came from the women in her family, as she told Smithsonian Magazine.
She said her Aunt Denise gave her a love of art. As a registered nurse, DuVernay said her aunt worked night shifts to be able to “pursue her passion during the day, which was art and literature and theater… She was a patroness. She worked to live. But what she loved in life was the arts. She was fed by it. That was a huge influence on me.” She also noted her mother as an influence as well.
Her Work Created The DuVernay Test
Ava DuVernay’s iconic and trailblazing work coined a filmmaking test called “The DuVernay Test” in 2016. This test is a tool used to check in with oneself as a filmmaker, to ensure that your characters of importance have diversity. It asks questions like “Are there named characters of color?” and “Do characters of color have dialogue?” New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis was the one who created it according to Slate, and since then, it’s been used to amplify people of color in the entertainment industry.
She’s Done Some Trailblazing Charity Work
Along with amplifying voices in marginalized communities in her films, Ava DuVernay also is a trailblazer with charity work. Back in 2018, DuVernay, along with producer Dan Lin and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, created a fund called the Evolve Entertainment Fund. This fund’s mission is to give opportunities to under-served communities who want to work in entertainment. They offer classes, paid internships, mentorships, mini-grants, and more for these communities.
Before the Evolve Entertainment Fund, DuVernay founded the distributing company/ charity called the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM) in 2011, which helps distribute Black independent films.
She Has More Work to Come
Ava DuVernay isn’t stopping any time soon. According to her IMDB page, she’s signed onto a plethora of projects in a multitude of roles. It was just announced that she’ll be writing a TV movie called Battle of Versailles. As a producer, she’ll be working on the mini-series Wings of Fire, DMZ, and the TV film previously mentioned. And as for directing, she’ll be directing some of DMZ and the TV movie film Battle of Versailles. Per Biography, she said “Not enough Black films are being made to warrant a piece of the pie. You can’t have four films and expect real change or real integration to happen.”
She Doesn’t Want You To Touch Her Hair
According to an interview with US Magazine, Ava DuVernay hasn’t “picked up a hairbrush since March 2004.” DuVernay has gorgeous locks and isn’t afraid to tell people to keep their paws off of it. Per a viral tweet back in 2015, DuVernay tweeted, “Missed train dealing w/ a man who touched my hair + when I asked what in all the hells he thought he was doing replied ‘Is this racial?’” This led to some discourse on the bus, with people coming to DuVernay’s aid, and her ending with a tweet saying, “Moral: DON’T TOUCH anyone uninvited. ESPECIALLY not this black woman’s hair.”
She Was Hesitant About Working On Colin in Black & White
With one of her latest directorial and producer-based projects, she co-created an autobiographical miniseries with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick called Colin in Black & White that was released in 2021. The mini-series explores Kaepernick’s high school years and how they formed him to become an activist and athlete.
In an interview with The Grio, DuVernay said, “I wasn’t sure at first that I would be able to do what I like to do in shows, which explores social, historical, and cultural impact. But as he started telling me the story of his childhood, and different little episodes and things that happened, I did see a through-line about microaggressions and otherness and privilege and access and all of these things I’m really interested in.” She added, “I keep being drawn to these stories of young people!”
She Has Low-Key Hobbies
Despite being a fireball of power and passion, Ava DuVernay’s hobbies are quite low-key. She knows how to self-care the right way, telling US Magazine that some of her favorite hobbies include hiking, reading poetry, meditating, and watching every episode of The Twilight Zone.
She Isn’t Afraid to Clapback
So Ava DuVernay’s Selma is one of her most popular and powerful pieces to date. DuVernay wanted the film to be and feel authentic, with every detail. According to iHeartRadio, all of the extras in the film were from the town of Selma. The film has been acclaimed as a historical landmark for biopics, but with any successful film, there were critics. In an op-ed by Joseph Califano for the Washington Post, he said it should be “ruled out of Christmas and Awards season” because of the way it portrayed former U.S. President Lyndon B Johnson.
DuVernay responded to Rolling Stone per Colorlines saying, “This is a dramatization of the events… Johnson has been hailed as a hero of that time, and he was, but we’re talking about a reluctant hero. He was cajoled and pushed, he was protective of a legacy – he was not doing things out of the goodness of his heart…” She also responded by saying, “I just think that is disturbing. It’s against the very ideals of what Johnson’s legacy that we’re talking about stood for. If we’re talking about equality, if we’re talking about voice, then let this voice be heard.”
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