Ava DuVernay‘s African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM) has launched its second annual membership drive, in an effort to assist black, brown and female filmmakers.
“It’s important that we support filmmakers who are being excluded from the traditional ways of distributing their films,” DuVernay told TheWrap Monday.
Since 2011, AFFRM’s Array Releasing has distributed eight independent features including DuVernay’s “Middle of Nowhere,” which won the 2012 Sundance directing award and Alrick Brown’s “Kinyarwanda,” winner of the 2011 Sundance Audience Award.
Also Read: Oprah Winfrey, 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay Partner on OWN Drama Series
“I financed AFFRM for the last four years out of my directing money,” said DuVernay, who founded the film releasing collective. “But last year we started to say, ‘hey, does anyone want to donate to this effort?’ And
we had a donor drive that we call a ‘rebel drive’… and we had some 750 people who gave.”
The group’s 30-day membership campaign runs from May 4 through June 5 and is supported by such Hollywood insiders as
Also Read: 'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay Tapped for CBS Pilot 'For Justice'
DuVernay is currently writing and will also executive produce and direct “Queen Sugar,” an original series based on a novel by Natalie Baszile for Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN.
Despite her busy schedule, DuVernay says she’ll continue to play an active role in AFFRM. “It’s a part of me and it’s just as important for me as the films that I make.”
AFFRM membership is open to all film enthusiasts. For details, go to the group’s website or watch the video below.
75 Eye-Popping Portraits From TheWrap's Sundance Studio (Exclusive Photos)
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"The D Train" star James Marsden, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Z for Zachariah" star Chris Pine, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Z for Zachariah" star Margot Robbie, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale in the World" producer Adrian Grenier, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"James White" star Christopher Abbott, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"James White" star Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"James White" and "Stockholm, Pennsylvania" star Cynthia Nixon, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Nasty Baby" stars Alia Shawkat (l) and Kristen Wiig (r) with director Sebastian Silva, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"James White" director Josh Mond, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Misery Loves Comedy" star Lisa Kudrow, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The End of the Tour" star Mamie Gummer, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Misery Loves Comedy" star Kevin Smith, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Misery Loves Comedy" stars Kevin Smith and Kevin Pollack, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Nasty Baby" star Alia Shawkat, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Stockholm, Pennsylvania" star Jason Isaacs, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Stockholm, Pennsylvania" stars Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky, Cynthia Nixon, Saoirse Ronan (back row, l-r)and Hana Hayse, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Stockholm, Pennsylvania" star Saoirse Ronan, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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YouTube star Flula, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The D Train" star Jeffrey Tambor, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The D Train" star Kathryn Hahn, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The D Train" star Jack Black photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The End of the Tour" star Jason Segel and director James Ponsoldt, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The End of the Tour" star Jason Segel, director James Ponsoldt (back row, l-r), Mickey Sumner and Mamie Gummer (front row, l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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YouTube star Olga Kay, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
YouTube star Olga Kay, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The Resurrection of Jake the Snake Roberts" stars Scott Hall, Jake "The Snake" Roberts (back row, l-r), "Diamond" Dallas Page and director Steve Yu (front row, l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Viking" directors Sam and Ben Callis, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Animals" creators Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"99 Homes" star Michael Shannon, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Z for Zachariah" star Chiwetel Ejiofor, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Z for Zachariah" star Margot Robbie, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Z for Zachariah" star Margot Robbie, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Z for Zachariah" star Chris Pine, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The Bronze" star Melissa Rauch, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The Bronze" star Haley Lu Richardson, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The Bronze" star Gary Cole, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Slow West" stars Caren Pistorious and Kodi Smit-McPhee with director John Maclean (l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Sleeping With Other People" star Alison Brie and director Leslye Headland (l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Knock Knock" stars Lorenza Izzo and Keanu Reeves with director Eli Roth (l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Knock Knock" stars Lorenza Izzo and Keanu Reeves with director Eli Roth (l-r), photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Ewan McGregor and Tye Sheridan, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Glassland" star Toni Collette, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Experimenter" stars Winona Ryder and Peter Sarsgaard, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Experimenter" stars Peter Sarsgaard and Winona Ryder, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
Producer Christine Vachon, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The Overnight" star Jason Schwartzman, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"A Walk in the Woods" star Robert Redford, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Dope" star Blake Anderson, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Dope" star Kiersey Clemons, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Dope" stars Kiersey Clemons and Shameik Moore, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Dope" star Chanel Iman, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Advantageous" director Jennifer Phang and producer/actor Ken Jeong, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Last Days in the Desert" star Ewan McGregor, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"Last Days in the Desert" actor Tye Sheridan, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"The Diary of a Teenage Girl" actor Alexander Skarsgard, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The Diary of a Teenage Girl" star Bel Powley, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck" director Brett Morgan, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Digging for Fire" actor Jake Johnson and director Joe Swanberg, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"People, Places, Things" star Jemaine Clement, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"People, Places, Things" director James C. Strouse, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Mississippi Grind" star Ben Mendelsohn, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Selma" director Ava DuVernay, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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Patrick Fraser/TheWrap
"The Hunting Ground" director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
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"Cronies" executive producer Spike Lee and director Michael Larnell, photographed by Patrick Fraser at TheWrap's Kia photobooth during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 23, 2015.
Chris Pine, Keanu Reeves, Kristin Wiig, Lisa Kudrow, Margot Robbie, Alexander Skarsgard, Jeffrey Tambor and Jack Black among stars shot by photographer Patrick Fraser