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 Stepping Out: The Untold Story of Stepin Fetchit
Suggested by kamsismith
"Stepping Out" follows the remarkable journey of Lincoln Perry, a man who broke barriers and shattered stereotypes in Hollywood's Golden Age. Rising from poverty in the segregated South, Perry found fame as Stepin Fetchit, Hollywood's first African American movie star. With his slow, drawling speech and exaggerated mannerisms, Fetchit became a household name, but behind the scenes, Perry fought against the industry's racism and his own typecasting. As Perry navigates the highs and lows of fame, "Stepping Out" explores the complexities of his character—a man torn between exploiting stereotypes for success and advocating for his dignity and that of his community. Despite criticism from both Black and White communities, Perry perseveres, using his platform to challenge racial norms and demand equality. But as the civil rights movement gains momentum, Perry's career begins to falter. With Hollywood turning its back on him and facing backlash from a changing society, Perry grapples with his legacy and the impact of his choices. Ultimately, "Stepping Out" reveals the humanity behind the caricature, painting a nuanced portrait of a man who dared to defy expectations and paved the way for future generations.
