--- title: TIME 100: Ava DuVernay Delivers Gala Toast Honoring Aunt description: Ava DuVernay gave a moving toast at the TIME 100 gala, paying tribute to her aunt who inspired her film career canonical: https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-26T03:35:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T09:01:20.000Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Watch Ava DuVernay Deliver a Touching Tribute to her Aunt at the TIME 100 Gala og:description: "Influence is a privilege that depends on people giving it to you" og:url: https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5888b42c3db72dfa/6988caa0cd1bba0901704e6a/ava-time-100-gala-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Landon Nordeman for TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Ava DuVernay Deliver a Touching Tribute to her Aunt at the TIME 100 Gala twitter:description: "Influence is a privilege that depends on people giving it to you" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5888b42c3db72dfa/6988caa0cd1bba0901704e6a/ava-time-100-gala-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Ava DuVernay Deliver a Touching Tribute to Her Aunt at the TIME 100 Gala > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:01 AM UTCPublished: Apr 26, 2017 3:35 AM UTC  Ava DuVernay at the Time 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 25, 2017 in New York City. Ava DuVernay at the Time 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 25, 2017 in New York City.Landon Nordeman for TIME by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:01 AM UTCPublished: Apr 26, 2017 3:35 AM UTC Acclaimed film director and [TIME 100 member](http://time.com/collection/2017-time-100/4736186/ava-duvernay/) Ava DuVernay honored her aunt during an inspiring toast at the TIME 100 Gala. “When I was asked to give this toast to someone who has influenced me, there was only one person who came to mind,” [DuVernay](http://motto.time.com/4684101/ava-duvernay-oscar-dress-political-statement/) said of her aunt, Denise Amanda Sexton, crediting her aunt with inspiring parts of her career. “She opened my window to the world, which for me was the image cinema,” she said. We’d take the bus to the movies, and we’d see the movie, and then we’d talk and talk and talk and talk about it afterwards, which for a little girl is a big deal when someone just talks to you.” DuVernay, director of Academy Award-nominated films [_Selma_](http://time.com/4138236/ava-duvernay-barbie/) and _13th_, is the first black woman to be nominated for a best director Golden Globe. She also became the first black woman to direct a film with a budget of more than $100 million with _A Wrinkle in Time_, set to come out in 2018\. DuVernay has frequently spoken out about institutional racism, sexism and how [Hollywood excludes people of color](http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/09/ava-duvernay-the-13th-queen-sugar-c-v-r.html). Her narrative and documentary work has touched upon the history of racism in America. DuVernay said that although Sexton passed away, she’s with the director every day. “I understand fully through Denise that influence is a privilege that depends on people giving it to you.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/"},"headline":"Watch Ava DuVernay Deliver a Touching Tribute to Her Aunt at the TIME 100 Gala","datePublished":"2017-04-26T03:35:31.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T09:01:20.000Z","description":"\"Influence is a privilege that depends on people giving it to you\"","url":"https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/","keywords":["TIME 100","TIME 100","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5888b42c3db72dfa/6988caa0cd1bba0901704e6a/ava-time-100-gala-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5888b42c3db72dfa/6988caa0cd1bba0901704e6a/ava-time-100-gala-2017.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Landon Nordeman for TIME","caption":"Landon Nordeman for TIME","creditText":"Landon Nordeman for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4752416/ava-duvernay-time-100-gala/","name":"Watch Ava DuVernay Deliver a Touching Tribute to Her Aunt at the TIME 100 Gala"}}]}] ```