Trivia

She didn't start film making or even use a film camera until she was thirty-two.

In June 2013, she was invited to join both the director's and writer's branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is only the second black woman, following Kasi Lemmons, to be invited to the director's branch.

She didn't attend film school.

In 2012, she became the first African American woman to win the Best Director Prize at Sundance Film Festival. She won the award for her second feature, Middle of Nowhere (2012).

She is the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She received the nomination for her film Selma (2014).

She directed her first feature film at the age of thirty-nine.

She initially trained to be a journalist.

Founder of AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement.

Merited a place in TIME magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People" issue with an homage written by Venus Williams. (May 2017)

Member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival in 2018.

She is the first African-American woman to direct a comic book with New Gods (2022).

Worked as a film publicist at 20th Century Fox before setting up her own agency where she worked on "Lincoln", "Dreamgirls" and "Collateral".

Has directed one Emmy Award-winning performance: Jharrel Jerome in Dans leur regard (2019).

Older sister of Jina DuVernay.

Graduated from UCLA.

Received a Barbie doll made in her likeness in 2015 as part of Mattel's Barbie Sheroes Collection. The doll was a platinum label, meaning it was only produced at 999 units, and completely sold out in 15 minutes upon going on sale at Amazon. It is now one of the most valuable and highly sought after collector Barbie dolls in existence, going for thousands secondhand.

She has her own Ben & Jerry's flavor called "Lights, Caramel, Action!" Made up of vanilla ice cream, caramel, graham cracker, and cookie dough, this flavor gives back to Ava's ARRAY Alliance, advancing social justice through art.

Friends with Oprah Winfrey.

She sported a pro-Gaza pin at the 2024 Oscars.

She was one of several attendees of the Oscars ceremonies to wear a badge supporting peace against the genocide underway in Palestine in 2024.