GIFF Honours Ava DuVernay: A Visionary in the World of Audiovisual Creation
World-renowned American director, producer and screenwriter Ava DuVernay to receive the Film & Beyond Award during GIFF’s 30th edition (November 1 – 10).
© Cheril Sanchez
The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) will grant the Film & Beyond Award to American trailblazer Ava DuVernay, the acclaimed American filmmaker, director, and producer known for her compelling storytelling and innovative approach to cinema. Duvernay first garnered attention with her film Middle of Nowhere (2012) before gaining widespread recognition with Selma (2014), a historical drama about the voting rights marches led by Martin Luther King in 1965. Showcasing her versatility across different mediums, she has directed, among others, the Netflix documentary 13th (2016) which explores the American prison system, the music video for Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s Family Feud in 2017 and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time (2018). Origin (2023), her latest project which premiered in competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, is inspired by Isabel Wilkerson’s acclaimed book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. It is a powerful exploration of the roots of social inequality in which DuVernay continues her tradition of thought-provoking and visually stunning work. Origin will have its Swiss premiere during the Festival, and the crucial themes it addresses are bound to deeply resonate with Geneva’s unique position in the international community.
DuVernay is globally recognized as a strong advocate for social rights, using her voice to support and elevate underrepresented perspectives in the film industry. She founded her production company ARRAY in 2010 with a mission to bring stories from marginalised communities to the forefront of the entertainment business. Her company has become a significant force in independent cinema, deeply reshaping the industry’s landscape.
“As an early admirer of Ava DuVernay, I am delighted to count her among the recipients of the Film & Beyond Award, a distinction that celebrates her immense contribution to cinematic imagination and society at large, notes Anaïs Emery – GIFF’s executive and artistic director. It is an honour to welcome such a pioneering and bold public figure during our 30th anniversary in 2024. Our Festival and its audience will certainly take inspiration from the courage and artistic impact of a multidisciplinary artist who has not hesitated to control the entire creative process of her works. She is profoundly engaged in showcasing what the audiovisual landscape of tomorrow can become.”
During the Festival, DuVernay will give an exceptional conference, delving into the depths of her creativity and journey. To further honour her work, the festival proposes a special program focusing of her most prominent films and series.
Film & Beyond Award: The Film & Beyond Award recognizes the career of interdisciplinary artists who have inspired the public through their artistic choices and who work across a variety of audio-visual formats. Recipients include Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2016), Abel Ferrara (2017), Peter Greenaway (2018), Park Chan-wook (2019), Woodkid (2020), Riad Sattouf (2021), Alexandre Astier (2022) and Jean-Michel Jarre (2023).
