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.
In "Her Beat: Breaking Barriers," we delve into the captivating journey of female musicians of color who defied societal norms, shattered glass ceilings, and left an indelible mark on the music industry. From the jazz clubs of the 1920s to the global stages of today, each episode uncovers the untold stories of these trailblazing artists who transformed the landscape of music. Through archival footage, interviews with industry insiders, and dramatic reenactments, viewers will witness the courage, resilience, and talent of women like Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, who paved the way for future generations. From Aretha Franklin's soulful anthems to Beyoncé's boundary-pushing performances, "Her Beat: Breaking Barriers" celebrates the diversity, innovation, and empowerment of female musicians of color throughout history. Join us on this musical journey as we honor their legacy and inspire the next generation of artists.
