Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay | |
|---|---|
 at the Urbanworld Film Festival 2010 | |
| Born | Ava Marie DuVernay |
| Occupation(s) | film director, film marketer, publicist |
| Years active | 1999 – present |
Ava DuVernay (born August 24) is an American filmmaker and marketer.
Film Marketing
DuVernay formed her award-winning publicity firm, The DuVernay Agency, in 1999. The company is currently known as DVA Media + Marketing, with three divisions spanning publicity, promotions and production. DVA has provided strategy and execution for more than 100 film and television campaigns by directors such as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann, Robert Rodriguez, Bill Condon, Raoul Peck, Gurinder Chadha and Reggie & Gina Bythewood.
Through DVA, she also owns and operates the nation's largest urban retail promotional network, Urban Beauty Collective. She launched Urban Beauty Collective in 2003.
Currently, DuVernay sits on Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa's Census 2010 Communications Steering Committee, Interactive One's Key Influencer Advisory Board and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Public Relations Committee.
Filmmaking
In 2008, DuVernay made her feature directorial debut with the documentary, This is the Life, which won audience awards in Los Angeles, Toronto and Seattle. The film opened theatrically in March 2009, and premiered on Showtime Networks in May 2009.
According to IFC.com, she wrote and directed "I Will Follow," a drama starring Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Michole White, Omari Hardwick and Beverly Todd, in early 2010. On September 18, 2010, the film made its world premiere as the Closing Night Selection of the 14th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival In New York City, the nation's largest multicultural cinematic event, and is an official selection of the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2010.
In 2010, DuVernay also directed two network music documentaries. The first, "My Mic Sounds Nice," chronicles the history of women in hip hop and was commissioned by BET Networks. In addition, she directed a two-hour music documentary chronicling the 2010 Essence Music Festival for Time Inc. Studios. Both films aired in August 2010 on BET and TV One respectively.
She has written and directed two award-winning shorts, "Compton in C Minor" and "Saturday Night Life," the latter of which was broadcast by Showtime Television in February 2007.
Personal life
Ava DuVernay is a graduate of UCLA and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
External links
- DVA Media + Marketing website
- Internet Movie Database
- "This Is The Life" feature film website
- "This is The Life" review by Ernest Hardy in LA WEEKLY
- "This is The Life" review by Justin Chang in VARIETY
- "This is The Life" review by Robert Abele in LOS ANGELES TIMES
- BLACK ENTERPRISE MAGAZINE "Action! New Generation of Black Filmmakers" feature by Marcia Talbert
- LOS ANGELES TIMES "Next in Line" feature by Greg Braxton
- DAILY VARIETY "IFP slates projects for feature market"
- LOS ANGELES TIMES "Style videos could start a new wave of good hair days"
- HUFFINGTON POST "My Mic Sounds Nice" review by George Alexander
- NPR "Female Emcees Say 'My Mic Sounds Nice'"
- BILLBOARD Documentary explores state of hip hop for women by Gail Mitchell
- CLUTCH MAGAZINE Creating the BET We Wanna See: Network's Original Doc Looks at Women in Hip Hop by Geneva Thomas
- BET REVIEW of "I Will Follow" by Clay Cane
- Ava DuVernay Filmmaker Site