Age: 53
female
Ava Marie DuVernay (/ˌdjuːvərˈneɪ/; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In 2011, she founded her independent distribution company ARRAY. After making her directorial debut with 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 documentary 13th (2016) and the Disney fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time (2018), the latter making her the first African-American woman to direct a film with a $100 million budget. In 2023, she directed the biographical film Origin based on Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020). DuVernay's television credits include the OWN drama series Queen Sugar (2016) and two Netflix drama limited series: When They See Us (2019), based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case, and Colin in Black & White (2021), based on the teenage years of NFL player Colin Kaepernick. In 2017, DuVernay was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2020, she was elected to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences board of governors as part of the directors branch. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ava DuVernay, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Ava DuVernay
Director
for Director in Fire and Desire: The Teena Marie Story
Suggested by kamsismith
Teena Marie's life is a story of passion, resilience, and revolution. Born Mary Christine Brockert, her journey begins as a musically gifted yet overlooked young girl in the working-class neighborhoods of California. Her path takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the protégé of the enigmatic and volatile Rick James. Together, they create magic on stage, culminating in their iconic duet, "Fire and Desire," which sets the music world ablaze. But Teena's story is more than just her rise to stardom. The series explores her relentless fight against racial and gender barriers, her groundbreaking lawsuit against her record label to secure artistic control, and her ability to bridge cultural divides with her undeniable authenticity. Her personal life is marked by triumphs and challenges, from the highs of motherhood and Grammy nominations to the struggles with substance abuse and the heartbreak of losing Rick James. Through a soundtrack of unforgettable hits like "Lovergirl," "Square Biz," and "Out on a Limb," Fire and Desire weaves Teena’s personal and professional evolution with the vibrant cultural shifts of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Each episode offers a mix of powerful performances, intimate moments, and behind-the-scenes drama that will captivate both lifelong fans and newcomers alike.
