Why It Matters: Ava DuVernay in Conversation with Karen R. Lawrence

President Karen R. Lawrence and award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay engage in a conversation about how storytelling influences public understanding of America’s history and its possibilities for the future.

This special program kicks off THIS LAND IS… an institution-wide initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding, with a discussion highlighting the essential role of the humanities in interpreting our past.

About Why It Matters

Celebrating The Huntington’s unparalleled opportunities for cross-disciplinary exploration of human culture and history, the Why It Matters series features Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in conversation with distinguished guests about the enduring relevance of the arts and humanities.

The Huntington’s THIS LAND IS … initiative is made possible through major support from The Fletcher Jones Foundation and Stewart R. Smith, Robin A. Ferracone, Logan Smith, and Tracy Beetler through The H. Russell Smith Foundation. Generous support for this initiative is also provided by LeeAnn and Ronald Havner through the JCS Foundation.

About the Featured Guest

Ava DuVernay is an Academy Award nominee and a recipient of Emmy, BAFTA, Peabody, Image, and Sundance awards. Her work includes Selma, the first film directed by an African American woman to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award; 13th, which earned her the first Oscar nomination for a Black woman in a feature directing category; and Middle of Nowhere, making her the first African American filmmaker to win Sundance’s U.S. Directing Award. Her series When They See Us garnered 16 Emmy nominations, and her series Queen Sugar became the longest-running Black family drama in television history, spanning 88 episodes over seven seasons. Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time became the first film directed by a Black woman to gross $100 million in U.S. box office history. And, in 2023, she made history again as the first African American woman director to compete at the Venice Biennale in its 100-year history with her feature film Origin.

DuVernay is the founder of the narrative change studio ARRAY, recipient of the Peabody Institutional Award. She holds honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from Yale University and Morehouse College. Her cultural influence has been celebrated with the Smithsonian’s Great Americans Medal in 2025, a commissioned likeness by the National Portrait Gallery, a sold-out Barbie doll, and a custom Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor.

DuVernay serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, representing the directors branch, and holds advisory roles with both the Directors Guild of America and the American Film Institute.