On the heels of the Dallas Women’s Foundation Leadership Forum And Awards Dinner last Thursday night, Dallas Women’s Foundation President/CEO Ros Dawson Thompson announced the plans for the Foundation’s 33rd Annual Luncheon on Tuesday, October 30.
Co-chairing the fundraiser that will take place at the Hilton Anatole will be Lael Brodsky and Tricia Miller, along with Honorary Co-Chairs Matrice Ellis-Kirk and Ron Kirk.
On stage this year will be director/producer/writer Ava DuVernay, who has an amazing list of firsts for African American women in the film industry including
- the first African American female director “to helm a $100 million budget feature film;”
- the first African American woman to win the Best Director Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2012;
- the first African American woman director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2014;
- the first African American female director to have her film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
She directed “A Wrinkle In Time” that “grossed more than $116 million in its first month of release” earlier this year.
As amazing as these accomplishments are, they are even more remarkable since she did not attend film school (“Film school was a privilege I could not afford.”) and didn’t start film making until she was 32. No wonder she was on Time magazine’s 100 most Influential People”!
Regarding the issue of breaking barriers, Ava recently said, “I think there have been cracks made in the glass ceiling by women who can get close enough to hit it with the weapon of their presence. But I’m mostly bolstered by folks who create their own ceilings.”
Joining Ava on stage for a conversation will be American journalist/former NPR host/The RaceCard project director Michele Norris.
According to Ros, “We are honored and thrilled to feature Ava DuVernay, one of the world’s most lauded and influential women in film, whose work has fearlessly explored racial inequity in the United States, broken new ground in family drama and brought to life a best-loved children’s classic. Just as we are inspired by her work as a writer, director and producer, so shall we be motivated by her personal story and journey as a pioneer in changing culture in Hollywood. Her conversation with Michele Norris, one of the most trusted voices in American journalism, is sure to be an unforgettable experience.”
Information about tables reservations and sponsorships are available here.
* Photo provided by Dallas Women's Foundation