#people of influence
“Filmmakers need to realize that their job isn’t done when they lock picture. We must see our films through.”
PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE | Ava DuVernay
Director, Marketer, Distributor
First African-American woman to win the Best Director prize at Sundance for Middle of Nowhere
Founded the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM)
Founded The DuVernay Agency Media + Marketing in 1999 which executes campaigns for some of the biggest tv and film studios (NBC, CBS, Disney, etc.)
- Directing a documentary about Venus Williams
Writes and directs all of her films
- All of them as gorgeous as her
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“Every film is a political act; it’s how you see the world.”
PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE | Mira Nair
Director, Producer, Writer
Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! (1988), was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1989 Oscars and won the Camera D’Or and the Prix du Publique at Cannes
Is the first woman to receive the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival for Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Monsoon Wedding was shot in 30 days
Established a filmmaker’s lab, Maisha, to support filmmakers of East Africa and South Asia
Has a degree in sociology from Harvard University and is currently a professor of film at Columbia University’s School of the Arts
Her highly anticipated film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012), was the opening film for the 69th Venice International Film Festival
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“I think everyone needs to feel a sense of connection, a sense of belonging. And that happens interpersonally, but I think it also needs to happen in our representations in mainstream media so that when we see ourselves up on the screen and we see our stories, we feel less alone, we feel less invisible.”
PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE | Laverne Cox
Actor, Producer, Trans* activist
The first African-American transgender woman to produce and star in her own TV show
Her show was nominated for a GLAAD media award in 2012
Grew up studying classical ballet
Most well-known for her role as Sophia in Orange is the New Black
Also recognized for her role as Chantelle in award-winning independent film Musical Chairs(2011)
Huffintgon Post included her on their 2012 list of Top 50 Trans Icons
Simply amazing
IMDB|Facebook | Twitter | Autostraddle Interview
[picture source: lgbtstory]
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PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE | Alice Wu
Director, Screenwriter
Designed software for Microsoft before pursuing filmmaking full-time
Most well-known for directing and writing romantic comedy Saving Face (2004) which was an official selection of the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals.
She gave herself 5 years to get her script turned into a film
The 5 year deadline hit the day right after the film’s wrap
Advised to make her characters white…
… and heterosexual…
… and to get rid of the Mandarin dialogue…
She refused
[photo source: Lance Iversen]
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