Ashley Avis is a filmmaker, journalist, and lifelong equestrian. She wrote and directed Black Beauty for Disney+, starring Oscar winner Kate Winslet, Mackenzie Foy, and Iain Glen, along with the Critics Choice–nominated documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West. Her next feature film is American Wolf, based on the New York Times bestseller by Nate Blakeslee, for Appian Way with Leonardo DiCaprio producing.
In addition to her filmmaking, Ashley is a journalist with bylines in Rolling Stone, where she has written about the urgent need to protect America’s wild horses and natural world.
Having grown up with horses — and witnessing firsthand the power of purpose-driven storytelling through the making of Black Beauty — Ashley founded The Wild Beauty Foundation in 2020 to bring greater awareness to the plight of wild horses and wildlife.
Her documentary Wild Beauty, described as “groundbreaking” and “a masterpiece of investigative reporting,” explores both the stunning natural beauty and the controversial government treatment of wild horses in the United States.
In 2023, Ashley was awarded a Special Congressional Commendation for her work on behalf of America’s equids. Her advocacy and storytelling have been featured in TIME, Deadline, and Variety. She has appeared on NewsNation, Good Morning America, interviewed by Diane Lane, and more.
Having created national movements such as #IStandWithWildHorses to protect wild horses on pubic lands; and #CryFortheWild to end the torture of wolves and wildlife — Ashley regularly speaks to students, and her films have become powerful tools for both education and advocacy — used in classrooms across the country and in the halls of Congress.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and producing partner, Edward Winters, and their pup, Whiskey. In her spare time, she rescues horses and is currently writing her first children’s book.
