With films like 13th, Selma, A Wrinkle in Time, and Origin, Ava DuVernay has made it a point to put representation at the forefront of her critically acclaimed work.
She has also racked up countless firsts: the first Black woman to win the Best Directing Award at Sundance in 2012; the first Black woman to get a Best Director Golden Globe nomination; the first woman of color to direct an Oscar-nominated Best Picture film; and the first woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million domestically.
Her work has made her the highest grossing Black woman director in American box office history. “When They See Us,” was nominated for 16 Emmy awards, making her the first African American women in Primetime Emmy history to receive multiple nominations in their careers for directing.