Director Ava DuVernay shooting ‘secret project’ at the DNC

By Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN

(CNN) — Director Ava DuVernay is on the ground at the Democratic National Convention this week for a special reason.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is in town shooting a secret project related to the event, according to a source with knowledge who spoke to CNN.

Details on the project are scarce, but the source says that DuVernay is directing whatever she is filming at the DNC this week. The project is not something that will be shown as part of the convention’s programming, the source added.

On Tuesday night, DuVernay was spotted on the DNC floor. She was also seen backstage with former President Barack Obama and Eva Longoria, according to posts on her Instagram Story.

DuVernay, one of the most prominent Black female directors in Hollywood, has a body of work that includes powerful storytelling focused on Black leaders, activism, slavery and racism.

For directing “Selma” in 2014 – based on the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery led by Martin Luther King Dr. – DuVernay became the first Black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe for best director. In 2016, she was nominated for an Oscar for her critically acclaimed criminal justice documentary “13th.” Her 2019 Netflix series, “When They See Us,” about the Central Park Five, was nominated for 16 Primetime Emmys and won two. Her latest film, “Origin,” was praised by critics.

DuVernay is a close friend and collaborator of Oprah Winfrey, a speaker at the DNC on Wednesday night. DuVernay created “Queen Sugar” on Winfrey’s OWN network, the longest-running television series ever created by a Black female creator. On that show, DuVernay made the decision to only hire female directors for every episode of its seven-season run in an effort to support women in the entertainment business.

DuVernay endorsed Kamala Harris immediately after President Joe Biden stepped aside. “There is no debate anymore,” DuVernay posted on social media about Harris’ run at the time. “We either make this happen or literally, more of us perish.”

In 2021, DuVernay supported Obama on his book tour for his memoir “A Promised Land,” joining him for a conversation about police reform, activism and racial justice.

The-CNN-Wire
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