Ava DuVernay takes to the stage in red floral print dress to present at Variety's Power Of Women

Ava DuVernay took to the stage as a presenter on Thursday at Variety’s Power Of Women Gala in Beverly Hills, California.

The 49-year-old filmmaker wore a black dress with a red floral print while introducing Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey, 52, the first black president of a major US television network.

‘I ask you to think about what it took to be the first Black executive to be named entertainment president of a broadcast television network. …Think of the battles, think of what it took to get up every day and step towards that goal,’ Ava said.

Powerful woman: Ava DuVernay took to the stage as a presenter on Thursday at Variety’s Power Of Women Gala in Beverly Hills, California

‘She’s also the first woman chairperson of Warner Bros. Television,’ Ava added.

Channing was honored at the gala held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts along with fellow honorees Katy Perry, Rita Moreno, Amanda Gorman and Lorde.

‘I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to work closely with her, and to be artistically supported by her. And I am thrilled to present her tonight as a Variety 2021 Power of Women honoree,’ Ava said while introducing Channing, according to an article by Variety.

‘I was lucky enough as a young woman in this business to be mentored by women who taught me that if we are in a position of power, it’s our obligation and our responsibility, to empower others,’ Channing said.

Floral print: The 49-year-old filmmaker wore a black dress with a red floral print while introducing Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey, 52, the first black president of a major US television network

‘I think tonight is about more than celebrating the power of women. It’s also about celebrating and recognizing the importance of empowering each other,’ she added.

Ava was elected in 2020 to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences board of governors as part of the directors branch.

She directed the 2014 film Selma and became the first black female director to have her movie nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Top honoree: Channing Dungey, shown with Ava, was honored at the gala held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts along with fellow honorees Katy Perry, Rita Moreno, Amanda Gorman and Lorde

Ava also was nominated in 2017 for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for her film 13th.

She was included in 2017 on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

The UCLA graduate most recently spearheaded the restoration of the film Sankofa by 75-year-old filmmaker Haile Gerima through her company ARRAY Releasing.

Hollywood success: ‘I ask you to think about what it took to be the first Black executive to be named entertainment president of a broadcast television network. …Think of the battles, think of what it took to get up every day and step towards that goal,’ Ava said

A 4K restoration of his 1993 epic Sankofa has been made newly available on Netflix and a retrospective series at the new Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures will begin Saturday.

‘Mr. Haile Gerima is the reason I was inspired to create my own film distribution company and he is, very simply, one of my heroes,’ Ava recently told the Associated Press about the Ethiopian filmmaker and UCLA graduate who is considered a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement.

‘He disrupted the system long before anyone was willing to take notice and continues to chart his own path,’ Ava said.

Film restoration: The UCLA graduate, shown earlier this month at the Met Gala in New York City, most recently spearheaded the restoration of the film Sankofa by 75-year-old filmmaker Haile Gerima through her company ARRAY Releasing