Ava DuVernay Barbie 2014

Nominated for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, writer/director Ava DuVernay’s most recent film “Selma” chronicled the historic 1965 voting rights campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She won the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 for her acclaimed feature “Middle of Nowhere.” Her previous narrative and documentary work includes the feature film “I Will Follow” and the documentaries “Venus Vs.,” “My Mic Sounds Nice” and “This is The Life.” In 2010, she founded ARRAY, an independent film distribution and resource organization for filmmakers of color and women filmmakers. Prior to her directorial career, DuVernay worked as a film marketer and publicist for more than 14 years through her company, The DuVernay Agency. She was born, raised and loves life in Los Angeles, California.