Ava DuVernay

Ava Marie DUVERNAY (1972, USA) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and film distributor. She holds degrees in English and African-American studies from the University of California. At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, she won the Best Director Prize for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first African-American woman to win the award. For her work in Selma (2014), DuVernay was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Picture.