Selma’s Ava DuVernay is making history — and empowering other black filmmakers to stay true to their vision.
As the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and have a film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture — for Selma — Ava DuVernay’s career trajectory is remarkable. Given that she never attended film school and made her feature directorial debut in 2008 with a low-budget documentary that explores the South Los Angeles hip-hop movement, it’s nothing short of miraculous. Not to mention a prime reason why this remarkably talented and gracious filmmaker has become a powerful symbol for women in Hollywood.
Maybe it’s that her dream was as strong as her determination. DuVernay is a firm believer in giving oneself the freedom to change your mind — or pivot — in order to follow new directions. As a UCLA alumna who studied English and African American studies, she first toyed with becoming a broadcast journalist before “pivoting” into public relations. In fact, DuVernay told UCLA Magazine that her experience in Westwood “directly related to my world view.”
It was proximity to these acclaimed filmmakers that first piqued her interest in directing. So she pivoted into making films — and history. Her first narrative feature, I Will Follow, was shot in 2011. Her second film, Middle of Nowhere, earned her the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 — and the distinction of being the first African-American woman to do so.
In addition to writing, directing and producing her own films, DuVernay launched the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), an independent distribution collective of black arts organizations dedicated to acquiring and licensing black independent films. This groundbreaking venture offers black filmmakers an alternative to traditional Hollywood films. And it supports DuVernay’s desire to not only tell stories that are important to her, but to do so on her own terms.
In Selma, the epic march led by Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., prompted change that broke barriers and forever altered history. In Ava DuVernay’s case, glass ceilings have been shattered and history has been put on notice.
“It’s okay to change up, grow, evolve and change your mind….You can pivot. Don’t be afraid to try.”