Ava DuVernay

The 25th Annual Webby Awards is honored to recognize Ava DuVernay as the 2021 Webby Film & Video Person of the Year for blazing trails throughout her decades-long career as a Hollywood visionary radically shifting systemic issues within the industry—notably with ARRAY’s new Law Enforcement Accountability Project and ARRAY Crew database to diversify production crews in Hollywood, as well as her groundbreaking Netflix drama miniseries When They See Us and documentary 13th.

A film vanguard and activist, DuVernay is radically redefining whose stories get to be told to online audiences everywhere—and how sharing these stories can create social change—through her company ARRAY, and many endeavors across film and entertainment. Through her powerful mini-series When They See Us, DuVernay retells the gripping story of Central Park Five and the gross mistreatment of boys of color at the hands of the U.S. criminal justice system to online audiences everywhere, with over 23 million Netflix accounts streaming it. From this, to the new Law Enforcement Accountability Project that will fund and empower activists to share narrative stories on police violence, to her gripping Netflix documentary 13th, DuVernay has long demonstrated her belief in the Internet as the perfect medium to share revolutionary stories with the masses and empower creatives of color behind the lens.   

Moreover, DuVernay continues to use her online and offline platform to uplift diverse creatives throughout Hollywood, from in front of and behind the camera, to the writers room: as can be seen through her upcoming ARRAY Crew database that connects hiring managers with diverse talent to create inclusive crews. 

For her masterful storytelling abilities, creation of art that continues to speak to issues we face as a nation, and her foresight in using digital media to bring important stories to the widest possible audience, it is our great privilege to honor Ava DuVernay as the 2021 Webby Video Person of the Year.