Nia DaCosta

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Nia DaCosta
Born (1989-11-08) November 8, 1989 (age 32)
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Education
Occupation
  • Director
  • Screenwriter
Years active2009–present

Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American director and screenwriter. She is credited as the first African-American woman to have a film debut at number one upon opening weekend. She wrote and directed the crime thriller film Little Woods (2019), winning the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival.[1] She also directed the horror film Candyman (2021).[1] In August 2020, DaCosta was hired to direct The Marvels, becoming the youngest filmmaker to direct a Marvel film, beating the record set by Ryan Coogler.[2]

Early life and education[]

DaCosta was born in 1989, in Brooklyn, New York City and raised in Harlem. She is of Brazilian and Black-American descent.[1] Her original obsession and professional aspirations started with her desire to be a writer, a poet to be exact. It was not till an AP class where she was exposed to the work of Joseph Conrad, and after reading his book Heart of Darkness, she and her class then watched the film adaptation, Coppola's “Apocalypse Now”.[1] This was a turning point in DaCosta's life, from there on out she was obsessed with film which, led DaCosta to research 1970s film, where she found inspiration in directors such as Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola.[1] Citing Scorsese as a top inspiration, DaCosta as well as having her masters in writing from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama enrolled at his alma mater,[3] New York University Tisch School of the Arts. There, she met Scorsese while working as a TV production assistant.[1]

Style & themes[]

The overarching theme of DaCosta's films and work is to spark a conversation on a bad situation, more importantly spark a different conversation that is different from the mainstream one. In her schooling she was told as a writer to "write what you know".[1] DaCosta recalled in an interview thinking that she grew up experiencing a rather privileged lifestyle living in New York City because there were so many resources so much knowledge to be soaked up living in the city.[1] She instead turned to the emotions from certain experiences and how her emotions experienced was something that she knew about and could write about, and people could connect with.[1] Instead of writing about her experiences she would write about someone in the opposite shoes as her, which is where the story for LittleWoods came around. DaCosta's work speaks for the people who do not get their story and their issues shown on screen in an effort to spark a conversation about what people are doing and if others can do better.[1]

Career[]

After finishing school and working as a TV production assistant where DaCosta would work with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, and Steven Soderbergh.[1] DaCosta wrote the script for Little Woods, which was one of the 12 projects chosen for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs,[4] where she would meet Tessa Thompson who would later play the role of Ollie in her 2019 film LittleWoods.[5] She funded a short film version of what would eventually become her first feature film through Kickstarter with the help of 72 backers who eventually raised $5,100.[6] After finishing LittleWoods she was working on the show Top Boy in London when she learned that she was on the list to direct Jordan Peele's revival of the classic horror film Candyman. DaCosta's film Candyman would bring her the title of the first female African-American to have a film debut at the top of the box office.[7] Following this success DaCosta is now set to Direct the new Marvel project The Marvels, featuring the first female Pakistani lead hero.[3]

Little Woods[]

Main article: Little Woods

Little Woods is a realistic genre bending take on a modern western that tells the story of Ollie (Tessa Thompson), a reformed drug runner in rural North Dakota, and her estranged sister Deb (Lily James). When their mother dies, Deb shows up on Ollie's doorstep with her young son, and reveals she is pregnant. This pushes Ollie to seek out a way to quickly raise money to pay back the bank and keep their mother's home, and pushes Deb to decide whether or not she wants to go through with getting an abortion. This film is a commentary about the issues with poverty and how it affects women in rural areas, places where women do not have as much opportunity for work, and more importantly are far from major hospitals as well as not having the legal or financial ability to get the procedures done where they see fit.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018, and was awarded the Nora Ephron award for "excellence in storytelling by a female writer or director".[8] It was then bought by Neon and distributed through North America in April 2019.[9] DaCosta cites Debrah Granik's Winter's Bone and Courtney Hunt's Frozen River as being her main sources of inspiration for the script, as she feels that their films relay amazing performances and tense drama, yet tackle real issues in America.[10] In a 2018 interview with FF2 Media, DaCosta stated the importance to her of telling the stories of "women...who are active" rather than passive figures in movies led by men.[11]

Candyman[]

Main article: Candyman (2021 film)

DaCosta was chosen to helm what was described as a spiritual sequel to the original Candyman (1992) in 2018. The film returned to the Chicago neighborhood where the legend began, now gentrified.[12] The film was produced by Jordan Peele through Monkeypaw Productions, with Peele citing the original as "a landmark film for Black representation in the horror genre".[12] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starred in the film,[13] with Tony Todd returning, in an appearance as the film's titular villain,[14] and Teyonah Parris[15] and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett[16] co-starring. Production began in the spring of 2019, and wrapped the following September.[12][17] Universal Pictures released the film theatrically on August 27, 2021 and received positive reviews.[18][19]

The Film was nominated for awards, the Hollywood Critics Association Award for "Most Anticipated Film for the Rest of 2021"[20] and won the award for "Directors to Watch" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[21] The film also won the Sunset Film Circle Awards for "Best Horror Film".[22] The film was received at the top of the box office opening weekend and beat its projected earnings by almost 50% at $22,370,000.[23]

The Marvels[]

Main article: The Marvels

In August 2020, DaCosta was hired to direct the upcoming Marvel Studios film The Marvels, the sequel to Captain Marvel (2019),[24][2] after having initially approached them with a Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover movie.[25] It is currently scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023.[26] This is set to be the first Marvel film directed by an African-American Woman, as well as the first Marvel film to feature a female Pakistani lead superhero, Kamala Kahn (played by Iman Vellani).[3]

Awards and nominations[]

Nia has gathered a lot of fame in a relatively short period of time. She is the first African American woman to have a #1 film. Her first film LittleWoods was credited with the Norah Ephron "excellence in storytelling by a female writer or director" award.[1] She also received nominations for her film Candyman for "Most Anticipated Film for the Rest of 2021" at the 2021 Hollywood Critics Association,[20] and won the awards for "Directors to Watch", and "Best Horror Film" respectively.[21][22]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Director Writer Ref.
2018 Little Woods Yes Yes
2021 Candyman Yes Yes
2023 The Marvels Yes No [27]

Short films[]

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
2009 The Black Girl Dies Last Yes Yes No Also actor [28][29]
2013 Night and Day Yes No Yes Also editor
2014 Celeste No Yes No
Livelihood No Yes No

Television[]

Year Title Notes
2019 Top Boy Episodes "Bonfire Night" and "Smoke Gets in Your Hands"

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Obenson, Tambay (April 18, 2019). "How Nia DaCosta Went From Wide-Eyed NYU Film Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". IndieWire. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Vary, Adam B. (August 6, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2' Lands Nia DaCosta as Director". Variety.
  3. ^ a b c "Candyman director Nia DaCosta: 'It is shocking the way people have talked to me'". The Guardian. August 26, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sundance Institute Announces 12 Projects for 2015 January Screenwriters Lab". Sundance Institute. September 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "Tessa Thompson and 'Little Woods' director Nia DaCosta are breaking down Hollywood barriers". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  6. ^ DaCosta, Nia (December 17, 2014). "Little Woods by Nia DaCosta". Kickstarter.
  7. ^ "Nia DaCosta becomes first Black woman director to debut film at top of box office with "Candyman"". CBS News. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (April 16, 2013). "Tribeca Announces Nora Ephron Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 14, 2018). "Neon Acquires Nia DaCosta's 'Little Woods' After Tribeca Bow". Deadline.
  10. ^ Strouse, Kristy (May 4, 2018). "Tribeca Review & Interviews: LITTLE WOODS: A Confident Debut". Film Inquiry.
  11. ^ Coffin, Lesley (April 29, 2018). "Nora Ephron winner Nia DaCosta talks 'Little Woods'". FF2 Media. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (November 27, 2018). "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta". Variety.
  13. ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (February 26, 2019). "Jordan Peele's Candyman Has Found Its Hook-Handed Villain". Vulture.
  14. ^ Trumbore, Dave (March 25, 2019). "'Candyman' Director Confirms Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Not Replacing Tony Todd". Collider. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  15. ^ Kit, Borys (March 1, 2018). "'Beale Street' Actress Teyonah Parris in Talks to Join Yahya Abdul-Mateen in 'Candyman' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ Clement, Olivia (August 14, 2019). "Angels in America's Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is also part of the film's cast, now in production in Chicago". Playlist.
  17. ^ Abdul-Mateen, Yahya II (September 25, 2019). "CANDYMAN". Facebook.
  18. ^ Hughes, William (September 12, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's Candyman delayed until August 27, 2021". A.V. Club. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  19. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 11, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's 'Candyman' Release Delayed to 2021". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "The 2021 Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Midseason Awards Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Oganesyan, Natalie (February 27, 2021). "Variety's 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards Delves into Art of Moviemaking". Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "The 2021 Sunset Circle Awards (SCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (August 29, 2021). "'Candyman' Grosses $22.3 Million to Become the First #1 Film Directed by a Black Woman". IndieWire. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  24. ^ Newby, Richard (August 6, 2020). "The New Possibilities for 'Captain Marvel 2'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  25. ^ Allen, Sian (September 14, 2021). "The Marvels Director First Pitched A Fantastic 4 & X-Men Crossover". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  26. ^ Couch, Adam (December 11, 2020). "'Free Guy', 'Thor 4' and 'Lightyear' Get Release Dates Amid New Disney Plan". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  27. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 5, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2': 'Candyman's Nia DaCosta To Direct Sequel". Deadline Hollywood.
  28. ^ Elderkin, Beth (May 1, 2020). "Candyman Director Nia DaCosta Talks Scares, Sequels, and Fan Service". Gizmodo.
  29. ^ "The Black Girl Dies Last". August 5, 2009 – via YouTube.

External links[]

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