For the first time ever, an African-American woman is the winner of the coveted '"director award" at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ava Duvernay's film "Middle of Nowhere" hits theaters this week. It's a gripping story of a wife whose world is shattered when her husband is sent off to prison.

Duvernay is a former publicist who overcame fear and ridicule to become an acclaimed independent filmmaker. This morning on "Starting Point," Soledad shared a portion of Duvernay's story, which will be featured in the CNN documentary "Who is Black in America." The special airs on December 9th at 8pmET.