AVA DUVERNAY is coming out smoking and she is making it clear their is no turning back.
DuVernay will be the first African American woman to lead a live action feature with a budget over $100 million dollars! Now what is most amazing about this, is only two other women have directed live action films of this caliber with a budget in this range. With a bit of research, I was able to find a list of other women directors who have been alloted similar budgets. Kathryn Bigelow was the first in 2002 with K-19; The Widowmaker, Patty Jenkins will be the second with next year’s Wonder Woman, which is a HUGE deal to the movie industry. Ava DuVernay will be the third and will be the first woman of color.

DuVernay has worked her way up from directing extremely low-budget films to a studio tent pole. Her feature debut in 2011’s, I Will Follow, was made for $50,000 and her 2012 follow up, Middle Of Nowhere, had a budget of $200,000. Oscar-nominated biopic, Selma, was a big step up budget wise as the 2014 released movie was only $20 million to make!

And now this takes the cake as she has crossed the $100 million dollar mark in only five years from the release of her first Indie film. This clearly happened through blood, sweat and tears as well as the support from her good friend, OPRAH, who has believed in AVA since day one. I find this most dynamic because I love the directors seat and seeing these quantum leaps being made by her let’s not only myself, but other aspiring black women directors know that the window is open and we have the opportunity to jump through.

This story by far was the highlight of my week, I hope this was informative as well as inspiring!

Signing Off!
-TB