Ashley Avis is an award-winning writer, director, editor, and passionate advocate for horses. She has completed five feature films and is the founder and president of the Wild Beauty Foundation.
She made history with her latest project – The Lamb – as the first Western woman to direct a film in Saudi Arabia. The film industry is relatively new in the country, and Ashley saw this as not only significant for herself, but also as an opportunity to create a foundation for future female filmmakers to build upon.
“It was very important to me in a brand-new industry, to also make sure, if film is kicking off there, let’s kick it off right, because we certainly didn’t kick it off right in Hollywood,” Ashley says. “We’re just having this surge of diversity and women in the director’s chair and diverse voices, and so why not start that over there from the ground up?”
Ashley’s journey into the world of filmmaking may seem unexpected given her parents’ backgrounds – one a lawyer and the other a doctor. However, from a young age, Ashley knew she wanted to be a writer. Her childhood was filled with influential literary works, including Hemingway and equestrian-themed classics like “The Black Stallion” and “Black Beauty.” While studying in New York, she ventured into journalism and later discovered screenwriting, which she described as feeling like poetry. This newfound passion led her to Los Angeles, where she started her career in the film industry.
Ashley’s dedication to storytelling extends beyond the big screen. Her recent remake of Black Beauty for Disney+ not only modernized the classic tale but also shed light on the pressing issue of wild horse preservation in the American West. Witnessing the plight of wild horses during the filming process sparked her commitment to advocating for their protection and welfare. Through the Wild Beauty Foundation, Ashley seeks to bring about positive change for wild horses in the United States.
Her most recent documentary, Wild Beauty Mustang: Spirit of the West, is a journalistic exposé into the corruption befalling wild horses. The film has been hailed as “ground-breaking” and received a special Congressional commendation in 2023.
In the fall of 2020, Ashley founded and launched The Wild Beauty Foundation— a new organization that hopes to illuminate key issues wild and domestic horses are facing today through entertainment, youth-focused educational programs, and on the ground rescue efforts. Ashley and her husband Ed recently adopted two wild horses of her own— rescuing them from holding pens in Nevada after witnessing a helicopter roundup. Ashley has also personally rescued a number of horses and several burros, adopting them out to new homes.
Listen or watch Dr. Nancy’s conversation with Ashley. If you’re inspired by her work and want to support her efforts to save wild horses, there are several ways to get involved. Learn more and how you can help at IStandWithWildHorses.com.
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