SABIFF 2025 ANKH AWARD HONOREE
ACTIonVISM!
Ava DuVernay
Writer, Director, Producer, Entrepreneur *Virtual Acceptance, Ms. DuVernay will not appear live 
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Ava DuVernayAva DuVernay is a change-maker who has had a profound impact on the film industry since she first came on the indie film scene in 2012. In the last ten years, she has made significant strides through her work as a producer/director, her company ARRAY NOW, and her revolutionary advocacy for under-represented voices in Hollywood.
An Academy Award nominee and recipient of Emmy, BAFTA, Peabody, Image and Sundance Awards. Her work includes SELMA, the first film directed by an African-American woman to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award; 13TH, which earned her the first Oscar nomination for a Black woman in a feature directing category; and MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, making her the first African-American filmmaker to win Sundance’s Best Director Prize. Her series When They See Us garnered 16 Emmy nominations and her series Queen Sugar became the longest-running Black family drama in television history, spanning 88 episodes over seven seasons. With Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, she became the first Black woman to gross $100 million in U.S. box office history. And in 2023, she made history again as the first African-American woman director to compete at the Venice Biennale in its 100 year history with her feature film, ORIGIN. Dr. DuVernay a former publicist, is the founder of the narrative change studio ARRAY in Los Angeles. This multi-platform arts and social impact collective "catalyzes its work through a mission-driven entities: the film distribution arm ARRAY Releasing, the content company ARRAY Filmworks, the programming and production hub ARRAY Creative Campus and the non-profit group ARRAY Alliance. She is a recipient of the Peabody Institutional Award, holds honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from Yale University and Morehouse College. Her cultural influence has been celebrated by the Smithsonian in 2025 with its Great Americans Medal, as well with a commissioned likeness by the National Portrait Gallery, a sold-out Barbie doll and a custom Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor. DuVernay's profound impact on the film industry, transforming it into a more inclusive and equitable space for diverse stories and creators. She is based in Los Angeles, California. |
