← Blacks Behind the Camera

Slide-8

By Sonja Mack | Published June 4, 2010 | Full size is 500 × 332 pixels

THE INNOVATOR: Ava DuVernayFor more than 15 years, Ava DuVernay, 36, has handled the marketing and publicity for more than 80 films, including hits such as Dreamgirls, Collateral, and Invictus. So when she decided to cut her teeth as a filmmaker, she applied her insider knowledge of the motion picture industry and digital technology to take control of the film's distribution. “I can do whatever the studios do and more because I am more agile, and I can reach more people who are interested in my film,” says DuVernay, who teaches a class on self-distribution and who has been commissioned by Agate Publishing to write a book on the subject. “Digital is allowing people to have more control over their films after they make them.”

THE INNOVATOR: Ava DuVernayFor more than 15 years, Ava DuVernay, 36, has handled the marketing…