Ava DuVernay will receive the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Casting Society’s annual Artios Awards on March 7, the organization announced on Thursday.
“Ava DuVernay is a visionary storyteller in the world of filmmaking, a huge champion for casting professionals and an incredible collaborator in the casting process,” Destiny Lilly, CSA president, said in a statement. “Her passion for inclusive and representative casting throughout her impactful career has made her a leader in the industry, and we are thrilled to honor her with the Lynn Stalmaster Award at this year’s ceremony.”
Adds DuVernay: “In my film Origin, the process of casting became the primary brushstroke on the canvas. Working with my casting director Aisha Coley to surround our leading lady Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor was a joy and a thrill. Each of the actors in the Origin ensemble are stellar in their experience, energy, intellect and enthusiasm. They are the latest in a series of extraordinary casts that I’ve had the great honor of guiding over the years. To be recognized for those efforts by this esteemed organization is a true gift for which I’m abundantly grateful.”
Aside from Origin, DuVernay’s credits include Selma, 13th, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us and Queen Sugar. Through her non-profit narrative change collective Array, which won a Peabody Institutional Award, DuVernay amplifies films made by people of color and women.
DuVernay also sits on the Film Academy’s board of governors, representing the directors branch. And she is a vice president of the Directors Guild of America and an advisory board member of the American Film Institute, and previously served on juries at the Cannes Film Festival and Mumbai Film Festival.
First held in 1985, the Artios Awards honor casting professional in more than 20 different categories over film, TV, commercials and theater. Additionally, special honorees are selected every year for contributions to the industry.
The Casting Society announced its television and theater nominees in October.
