With an impressive body of work spanning from documentaries to feature films and a unique filmmaking sensibility that pushes boundaries and challenges audiences to engage with complex social issues, Ava DuVernay has cemented her place in cinematic history as a trailblazing director. She was the first Black woman to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. She was also the first Black female director nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Director for a motion picture, along with being the first Black woman to win Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival. She was also the first Black woman to direct a movie with more than a $100 million budget.

Ava DuVernay's movies have a distinct style to them, both visually and thematically. Throughout her career, DuVernay has championed the representation of the Black community in the media, with the spotlight particularly emphasized on Black women. Most of her protagonists are Black women with complex social lives and rich character arcs that lead them to a path of putting themselves first. Visually, her scenes have an underexposed background with light focused on characters to ensure Black lives shine on screen. DuVernay's works are laced with many such brilliant nuances just waiting to be discovered by an inquisitive audience. Here are Ava DuVernay's 10 movies, including short films and documentaries, ranked.

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10. Say Yes (2013)

Say Yes

Say Yes is a short movie by Ava DuVernay in collaboration with the makeup brand, Fashion Fair. The short movie follows the protagonist who enters a party setting, feeling confused and hesitant to join any group. But through the course of the next seven minutes, she learns that saying yes and embracing the twists and turns in life can lead to some of the most exciting moments. Say Yes is entirely devoid of dialogue, but its sleek visual presentation ensures that the audience doesn't feel the lack. The movie is bursting with positive vibes, and the thoughtful soundtrack selection adds wonderfully to the celebratory tone of the movie.

9. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to produce a $100 million movie with her first foray into children's fantasy adventure, A Wrinkle in Time. While there have been many children's movies where kids can see a reflection of themselves in the characters, a staggering majority of these have been white. DuVernay sought to challenge this status quo with her adaptation of the famous 1962 novel. A Wrinkle in Time centers around a 13-year-old Meg Murray, who goes on a space-bending adventure to find and rescue her father. While the movie had spectacular visual moments and touching elements, it wasn't a box-office success and was subjected to criticism for untidy plot lines and unnatural dialogues. A Wrinkle in Time may not be DuVernay's best work, but it certainly is a revolutionary one in regard to the empowerment of Black female filmmakers and the representation of characters for Black children to relate to.

8. Saturday Night Life (2006)

Melissa de Sousa in Saturday Night Life
Image via Gail Gonzales

The reason Ava DuVernay's works feel so personal and authentic is because she's known to embed her life experiences and understandings into her art. Saturday Night Life is a prime example of this, where the director draws inspiration from the experiences of her own mother to craft a touching story. The movie is about a young, Black mother of three kids who decides to challenge her depression as she goes out to explore the glittery Los Angeles night with her kids. As the night progresses, the gloom disappears as the stars align to bring the family close together.

7. My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip-hop (2010)

Ava-DuVernay in My Mic Sounds Nice
Image via HBO

Despite its mainstream popularity, Hip-hop was mostly exclusively viewed as a man's art form. In her 40-minute documentary, My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip-hop, DuVernay concentrates her spotlight on the significant yet underappreciated women of hip-hop who made the scene what it is today. Featuring the likes of Missy Elliott, Salt-N-Pepa, and Chuck D, the film questions why there is such a severe lack of women in hip-hop these days and explores the underlying reasons behind it, which are often rooted in sexism and misogyny.

6. This Is the Life (2008)

It is lesser known that prior to carrying a camera and foraying into the world of filmmaking, Ava DuVernay was a fiery rapper. And she has given the art form its due homage in This is the Life, her very first feature-length documentary film. The film explores the blooming alternative hip-hop scene in Los Angeles, taking Good Life Café as its focal point. The location held open-mic nights every week and was popular amongst the aspiring artists who took to the stage and presented their performances in the rawest, unprocessed fashion. The film charts the journey of the cafe as it skyrocketed in popularity and grew impactful enough to influence the hip-hop that's popular today.

5. The Door (2013)

The Door is a testament to Ava DuVerny's mastery over the craft of visual storytelling. The 9-minute short movie lacks any dialogue and conveys its message almost entirely through symbolic abstractions. The film features a seemingly melancholic protagonist sitting alone in front of a glass door on her living-room couch. Each day, she is frequented by a new friend who chooses a new dress for the protagonist and takes her out for a good time. After a handful of these encounters, the protagonist finally builds herself back and finds the courage to step outside the glassdoor without any assistance. The Door does a wonderful job of portraying the sacred female bond within the female community that's often neglected in the mainstream media.

4. I Will Follow (2010)

Her first feature-length movie, I Will Follow, was shot in 11 days with a limited budget of $50,000. And yet, it was received with many accolades and critical acclaim. I Will Follow follows Maye (Salli Richardson), a successful artist who has paused her life to care for her aunt, Amanda (Beverly Todd), who is suffering from breast cancer. After Amanda's death, Maye meets her friends, family, and strangers, and with each encounter, she is pushed deeper into a state of self-reflection about her life and relationships. The story is very delicate, and Ava DuVernay handles it humanely and elegantly. I Will Follow is one of the more nuanced movies on grief, and in the end, the movie departs with the message that one doesn't really move on from grief, as much as one does move forward with it.

3. Middle of Nowhere (2012)

Emayatzy Corinealdi in 'Middle of Nowhere'
Image via Participant Media

While numerous movies depict the experiences of incarcerated individuals, few films focus on the impact of incarceration on the imprisoned's families. DuVernay tackles this rich idea in her romantic drama Middle of Nowhere. The movie follows Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a registered nurse whose life and career have become stunted as she spends most of her time visiting her imprisoned husband. As Ruby discovers the truth behind her husband's suspicious arrest, she also discovers herself in the process. Middle of Nowhere tells an unexplored story about incarceration from a fresh perspective, and it does so with utmost grace. The movie is also credited for placing DuVernay in the global spotlight as it won the Sundance Film Festival award in 2012, making her the first Black female director to bag this accolade.

2. 13th (2016)

Angela Davis in 13th
Image via Netflix

13th starts with the dismal fact that though the US holds only 5 percent of the global population, it houses a staggering 25 percent of the world's prisoners. And through the course of the next 1 hour 40 minutes, the film explores the reasons behind this racial injustice inherent within the American justice system. Featuring archival footage and interviews with prominent political figures and prison activists, 13th takes a deep dive into the country's history and its policies that eventually led to the present mass incarceration era. 13th is by no means an easy watch, but it is a must. The documentary was received with widespread acclaim, bagging a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars and winning British Academy Film Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards.

1. Selma (2014)

David Oyelowo and the cast of Selma in Selma
Image via Paramount Pictures

It's strange to think that even about 50 years after the March for Voting Rights, there had never been a full feature-length movie on Martin Luther King Jr until Selma. The wait might have been longer if it weren't for Ava DuVernay. Initially, DuVerney was handed a script that focused on Lyndon B. Johnson, but after a series of uncredited rewrites, DuVernay made sure it was the story of King and the people of Selma that came alive on screen. Selma centers around the pivotal moment in American history when MLK led a grueling campaign to snatch voting rights for the Black community. The film does a fantastic job of tying together King as a grand historical figure and as a man with self-doubts and marital issues without compromising the integrity of either. While the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category, it didn't bag the award, the reasons for which remain questionable to day.