AVA DUVERNAY

Best known for: Spearheading publicity campaigns for some of the biggest directors in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann, Robert Rodriguez, Bill Condon, and Reggie and Gina Bythewood.

Upcoming project: This month, she releases the first feature film she’s directed, I Will Follow, the story of a successful makeup artist (played by Salli Richardson-Whitfield) who puts her life on hold to care for her dying aunt. A festival darling (it won the Narrative Audience Award at the Urbanworld Film Festival), the indie also stars Blair Underwood and Tracie Thoms.

“I can’t really see myself doing any big blockbuster stuff,” she says. “My passion is for more intimate stories. I’m interested in stories about black adults being black adults and the secrets of our hearts. Those are the kind of films that I’ve loved forever, that I want to make – and I’m going to keep trying until I get it right.”