The black female Directors to watch out for…
After years of waiting in the wilderness while their male counterparts took all of the glory, a new generation of black female directors are emerging to light up the film industry.
1. Ava DuVernay
Ava became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize for her second feature film ‘Middle of Nowhere’ at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Born in Long Beach, California, United States and educated at the University of California, Los Angeles, Ava has also won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award and been nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature Film. Her other film is the 2011 ‘I Will Follow’.
2. Amma Asante
After an absence of ten years since her first feature film, A Way of Life in 2004 the award winning director has just completed directing her second feature film the much anticipated ‘Belle’ the Fox Searchlight British period drama starring newcomer Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson, which will be released in select US theatres on May 2, 2014. Amma is one of the UK’s fastest raising female Directors although she’s been around a long time; it just goes to show now tough it is to have a career in the film industry.
Amma started out as a child actor and went on to win The London Film Festival inaugural Alfred Dunhill UK Film Talent Award, The Times Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award and the BAFTA Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a Writer/Director in a debut film. Amma has also been nominated for Best Newcomer at both the Evening Standard and London Film Critics Awards.
3. Chika Anadu
Chika bust onto the scene last year with her Debut film ‘B For Boy’ winning the 2013 American Film Institute (AFI) Festival Breakthrough Award. Chika has made three short films: Epilogue (2009), AVA (2010) and The Marriage Factor (2013) and was one of five winners of the Focus Features Africa First programme in 2010. She took part in the Cinefondation (Cannes Film Festival) Residency programme in 2010/2011, where she worked on her first feature script for the LFF 2013-featured B For Boy which as been receiving critical acclaim across the globe.
Chika was born in Nigeria in 1980 and attended school in Lagos before heading to the UK in 1997, where she gained her degree in Law and Criminology. She followed up her undergraduate studies with an MA in Africa: Human and Sustainable Development.
4. Kasi Lemmons
Born February 24, 1961 St. Louis, Missouri, United States Kasi is probably one of the most accomplished female Directors around having worked with a host of top film stars like Martin Sheen, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson. Her latest film Black Nativity which has taken over $7m at the box office to date boasts a top line African American ensemble cast of Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Tyrese Gibson, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Bilge, Jacob Latimore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Nas.
Kasi is also most noted for her work on the films Eve’s Bayou, The Caveman’s Valentine and Talk to Me.
5. Destiny Ekaragha
Destiny has just completed directing her first feature the British Film Institute funded ‘Gone too Far’ set for release this year. Born in London Destiny studied film in college and university and got her first runner job on a film called Wimbledon. After various runner jobs, including a stint at BBC Films, Destiny teamed up with Producer Tamana Bleasdale to make her first short film TIGHT JEANS which she both wrote and directed. TIGHT JEANS went on to be officially selected by the 2008 Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival; it was also voted the best short film shown at the London Film Festival by The Observer newspaper.
6. Michelle Bello
In 2007, Michelle produced and directed her first feature film Small Boy which was nominated for awards at the American Black Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2008, the Heineken Red Star Award for Innovation in Film and the Target Filmmaker Award for Most Inspirational Film. On home territory, Small Boy went on to win two African Movie Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Young Child Actor in April 2009.
Michelle later earned a Masters Degree in Communications specialising in Film Directing at Regent University, USA. After her graduation in December 2011, she moved back to Nigeria to once again to be part of the thriving industry known as Nollywood. Her knowledge combined with her experiences in the industry both locally and internationally led to her to producing and directing her second feature film the award winning ‘Flower Girl’ a romantic comedy which became the highest grossing Nollywood film in 2013.
