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.
"Run-DMC: Raising Hell" is a thrilling biopic that tells the incredible story of the iconic rap group Run-DMC, comprising Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell. Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s New York City, the film takes us on a journey through their humble beginnings, meteoric rise to stardom, and the challenges they overcame along the way. Through the gritty neighborhoods of Hollis, Queens, we meet Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels, two childhood friends with a shared passion for music and a dream of making it big. Their encounter with Jason Mizell, a gifted DJ, completes the trio that would go on to revolutionize the music industry. "Raising Hell" is an electrifying exploration of the birth of hip-hop culture, as we witness Run-DMC's trailblazing fusion of rap and rock music, exemplified by their hit single "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith. We delve into their struggles with fame, the pressures of the music industry, and the personal demons they faced, including DMC's battle with alcoholism and Run's transformation into a reverend. Don't miss this unforgettable cinematic experience that celebrates the legacy of one of the most influential groups in music history.
