Has Ava DuVernay Done Weight Loss? Photos from before and after weight loss
How did Ava DuVernay get to be a film director?
Ava Marie DuVernay was born in California to a single mother, Darlene, who was a teacher, and a stepfather who joined the family later.
Even though her parents had moved on, she kept in touch with her dad by going to his home in Selma, Alabama, every summer. But even though she studied English literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, she never forgot about her community and culture.
After she finished school, she got an internship at CBS News, where she helped cover the O.J. Simpson trials, which were big news in the 1990s. As she got a job as a junior publicist at 20th Century Fox and worked in the production rooms, her interests began to change.
It didn’t take her long to set up The DuVernay Agency, a public relations firm, and start marketing in the entertainment and lifestyle fields.
She made her first movie in 2005. Before that, she made a short film over the Christmas holidays for only 6,000 dolls. The 12-minute project, which caught the attention of film festivals, was based on the life of her mother.
Ava DuVernay: Director
The directing bug did its job, and she started looking into documentary styles while making smaller movies. As soon as she put out her first narrative feature film, I Will Follow, she became a well-known name in the independent film scene.
Then, she couldn’t be stopped. He won best director awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, which he won for Best Documentary Feature.
In fact, she was the one who came up with the idea for the $100 million Disney fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time. She also has credits in a number of Netflix drama films. By 2017, she was on the Time 100 list of the most influential people and had been chosen to be on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
FAST FACTS
- Worked as a marketer and publicist for 14 years, prior to becoming a filmmaker
- Made her directorial debut with the 2008 hip hop documentary, This Is the Life
- Is the founder of ARRAY, a distribution collective dedicated to the promotion of films by people of color and women filmmakers
- Was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work in Selma
- In 2015, Mattel created a Barbie Doll in her likeness, which sold out in 16 minutes
AWARDS
- 2020Producers Guild Awards–David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television: Nominated
- 2019Emmy–Outstanding Limited Series: Nominated
- 2019Emmy–Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special: Nominated
- 2019Directors Guild of America Awards–Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series: Nominated
- 2017Independent Spirit Awards–Best Documentary: Nominated
- 2017BAFTA Film Awards–Best Documentary: Winner
- 2017Emmy–Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming: Winner
- 2017Emmy–Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special: Winner
- 2015Independent Spirit Awards–Best Director: Nominated
- 2015Golden Globe–Best Director – Motion Picture: Nominated
- 2015Critics’ Choice Movie Awards–Best Director: Nominated
- 2014Los Angeles Film Critics Association–New Generation Award: Winner
- 2013Independent Spirit Awards–John Cassavetes Award: Winner
- 2012Sundance Film Festival–U.S. Directing Award: Dramatic: Winner
Quick Info:
| Name | Ava Marie DuVernay |
| Born | August 24, 1972 |
| Age | 50 years |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, television producer, film publicist |
