Few filmmakers have made as profound an impact on contemporary American cinema as Ava DuVernay. Her journey from publicist to powerhouse director represents a remarkable transformation that has reshaped how Hollywood tells stories about race, justice, and humanity.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025
Growing up in Compton, DuVernay’s early experiences were far removed from the stereotypical narratives often associated with her hometown. In an interview at this week’s Marrakech International Film Festival, she said her childhood was “filled with family and community and joy and fun food and music” — that would later define her approach to storytelling.
Her aunt Denise, who introduced her to cinema by taking her to countless movies, planted the seeds of her artistic journey. She said that those childhood experiences of consuming diverse films — from “Dirty Dancing” to broader comedies — taught DuVernay the magic of storytelling long before she became a filmmaker.
DuVernay is a beautiful creature. She’s at Marrakech’s most glamorous hotel, La Mamounia, looking every bit the part in an elegant cream outfit and heels, eyes shining bright, and dreadlocks cascading over her shoulders—a bit of gold bling. Shimmering teeth. She’s charming and at ease.
Her path to filmmaking was anything but traditional. Initially working as a film publicist, DuVernay never imagined herself behind the camera. It was a pivotal moment on the set of Michael Mann’s “Collateral” that sparked her directorial aspirations. Watching Mann direct, she realized she wanted to be the one crafting the narrative, not just promoting it.
Her breakthrough came with “Middle of Nowhere” in 2012, which won her the Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival — making her the first African American woman to receive this honor. “I went back to work the next day,” she told audiences at her In Conversation session in Marrakech earlier in the week.
But “Selma” in 2014 truly announced her arrival as a significant cinematic voice. The film, a powerful portrayal of the civil rights movement, earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and established her as a filmmaker committed to telling meaningful, often overlooked historical narratives.
She most recently released “Origin,” an adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s acclaimed book exploring the global concept of caste. “Origin” has sparked meaningful conversations about both caste and social justice.
Interestingly, when it comes to her film’s reception in India, DuVernay takes a pragmatic approach. She expressed openness to people watching pirated copies, stating, “I just want to make a bunch of illegal copies and drop them off in the street. At this point, I want it to be seen. Look, if it’s not being distributed there, then that means it’s not making money there. So why not let it be seen and not make money there? What’s the difference?”
She’s been surprised by some of the blowback on the film.
“I was naive about how passionate the denial is that caste exists in India with some people who say it just doesn’t exist,” she said. “The same kind of people say there’s no racism in the United States. What? What are you talking about? So it’s been illuminating in that way.”
DuVernay has continued challenging Hollywood’s conventions, creating groundbreaking works centered on Black experiences. Her documentary “The 13th” offered a searing examination of mass incarceration and systemic racism, while “When They See Us” brought the Central Park Five’s story to a global audience, sparking renewed conversations about justice and racial bias.
For her current project, she’s returning to the documentary genre to explore “some things about American history that people should know,” she said, though she’s keeping most details under wraps. She hints the documentary will be released this time next year. And that it involves whatever she was spotted filming this summer at the Democratic National Convention. “I wish I could give breaking news,” she added.
Then she’s wide open. “I next want to do a romance, thriller, or mystery,” she said. “I want to make ‘The English Patient’ or, I really love, ‘Cold Mountain’ or just like a sweeping, epic romance. I just need to find somebody to give me the money for it,” she laughs.
DuVernay is adamant about the importance of storytelling across various mediums, drawing inspiration from filmmakers like Agnes Varda and Spike Lee, who seamlessly move between different formats and genres. “We’re in a time right now where we can use all kinds of tools, different mediums,” she notes.
Her production company, ARRAY, has been instrumental in supporting and amplifying voices of color in film and media. By creating opportunities for filmmakers who have been traditionally marginalized, DuVernay has become not just a director but a transformative industry leader.
DuVernay is particularly passionate about the role of distribution in this, emphasizing that the most crucial aspect for her is that the work is seen. “As a woman filmmaker, as a Black filmmaker, as a Black woman filmmaker, the work being seen is the most important to me,” she explains. This philosophy has led her to embrace streaming platforms like Netflix, which have allowed her work to reach audiences in 190 countries.
“I have to say, I was an early and very outspoken supporter of Netflix. And I’ve been criticized for this,” she said. “I think it’s ridiculous. So I’ll say it again. It doesn’t matter to me as much how the film is seen. I do not feel precious about it being seen in a theater. Of course, I want it to be seen in a theater. I’ve worked very hard on the sound, the picture calibration, the color, everything. But the story is what’s most important to me. As a woman filmmaker, Black filmmaker, and Black woman filmmaker, I find the work being seen to be the most important to me. The voice being heard is the most important to me. So whether you see it on the back of an airplane seat or you see it in IMAX, I want you to see it. As I said here this week, what’s on Netflix and what’s streaming is important. Otherwise, the work would not reach 190 countries around the world. So, I feel grateful that much of my work is on Netflix. I feel fortunate; I want it to be seen.”
Looking to the future, DuVernay remains cautiously optimistic. As a “student of history,” she understands that while current times are challenging, they are not insurmountable.
“It is easy for us to feel like these are the worst times ever,” she said. “If you study the history of countries worldwide, the difficulties are so oppressive that you read the history books and wonder how people even got up in the morning to face the day. And we are not there. And so we keep hope. We keep working. We keep making art. We keep raising our voices. We keep educating ourselves, and we continue on.”
Is it worrisome?
“Is it the most challenging time that I’ve seen politically in the United States in my personal history? Yes,” she said. “But as a student of the long game, and knowing what’s happening in other places around the world, I think it’s challenging to hear Americans complaining too much about what’s happening. Yes, some of us don’t like it. But you have to deal with it, step into it, and work for what you want to see. And so that’s where I am. As an artist and a citizen.”
