Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay began her professional life working as a journalist before transitioning to public relations. At age 34 she first starting experimenting with filmmaking, making her first short film. DuVernay’s first feature film, “I Will Follow,” debuted when she was 39, and her subsequent film, “Middle of Nowhere,” won her the best director award at the Sundance International Film Festival.