Winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Best Director Award and the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award for her second narrative feature Middle of Nowhere, Ava DuVernay is a writer, producer, director and distributor of independent film. DuVernay’s directorial work includes I Will Follow, Venus Vs., This is the Life and Scandal. Her upcoming film Selma, nominated for four Golden Globe Awards including Best Director, chronicles the historic 1965 voting rights campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. DuVernay is founder of AFFRM, a film distribution collective dedicated to African-American cinema. She sits on the boards of Film Independent and the Sundance Institute.