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 Love Train: The O'Jays Story
Suggested by kamsismith
Love Train: The O'Jays Story is a dynamic, character-driven TV series that dives deep into the personal and professional lives of Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and William Powell, founders of the legendary O'Jays. Each episode explores the challenges and triumphs of the group as they navigate the cutthroat music industry, racial tensions, and personal struggles while delivering chart-topping hits like "Back Stabbers", "Love Train", and "For the Love of Money". The series paints a vivid picture of the group's early years, highlighting the trials of performing on the Chitlin' Circuit, the emergence of the Philadelphia International Records sound, and the O'Jays' meteoric rise during the 1970s. It also delves into their evolving brotherhood, including the emotional toll of losing Powell to cancer in 1977, and the group's resilience in maintaining relevance in a constantly changing industry. With a soundtrack that brings back the golden era of soul, funk, and R&B, Love Train offers a powerful, nostalgic look at how The O'Jays shaped American music and culture. The series not only celebrates their musical achievements but also their role in the civil rights movement, offering a fresh, intimate perspective on their contributions to Black empowerment and unity through their lyrics and influence.
