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Nia DaCosta

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Nia DaCosta
BornNovember 8, 1989 (age 30)[1]
Brooklyn, New York
EducationTisch School of the Arts
Occupation(s)Film director, Screenwriter

Nia DaCosta (November 8, 1989) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her breakout film Little Woods (2019). Her other credits include directing two episodes of the British television series Top Boy (2019), and directing and co-writing Candyman (2020), an upcoming direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name.

Early Life

DaCosta was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Harlem.[2] She always knew she wanted to be a writer, but it wasn't until she watched Apocalypse Now (1979) that she became enamored with filmmaking. This led DaCosta to discover the films of the 1970s and she found inspiration in directors such as Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola.[2] Due to her newfound love of film, DaCosta followed in the footsteps of her inspiration Scorsese and enrolled in New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where she would eventually meet Scorsese while working as a TV production assistant.[2]

Career

After finishing school and working as a TV production assistant, DaCosta's script for Little Woods was one of the 12 projects chosen for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs.[3] DaCosta herself helped fund the film through Kickstarter with the help of 72 backers who eventually raised $5,100.[4]

Little Woods

Little Woods 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.

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."[5] It was then bought by Neon and distributed through North America in April of 2019.[6] 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.[7] In a 2018 interview with FF2 MediaFF2 Media, DaCosta expresses her principal interest in telling the stories of "women...who are active" rather than passive figures in movies led by men. [8]

Candyman

Main article: Candyman (2020 film)

It was announced in late 2018 that DaCosta was chosen to helm what has been described as a spiritual sequel to the original Candyman (1992) The film is said to return to the Chicago neighborhood where the legend began, yet it is now gentrified.[9] The film is being produced by Jordan Peele through Monkeypaw productions, with Peele citing the original as "a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre."[9] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to star in the film,[10] with Tony Todd returning as the film's titular villain,[11] with Teyonah Parris[12] and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett[13] set to star alongside him. Universal Pictures plans to release the film theatrically on June 12, 2020, with production beginning in the spring of 2019, and wrapping in September.[9][14]

Filmography

Year Work Position
2018 Little Woods Writer, director
2019 Top Boy Director (Series 3, episodes 4 & 5)
2020 Candyman Director, co-writer

References

  1. ^ "Birthday Correction".
  2. ^ a b c Obenson, Tambay (April 18, 2019). "How Nia DaCosta Went From Wide-Eyed NYU Film Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". IndieWire.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Sundance Institute Announces 12 Projects for 2015 January Screenwriters Lab". Sundance Institute. September 16, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ DaCosta, Nia (December 17, 2014). "Little Woods by Nia DaCosta". Kickstarter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (April 16, 2013). "Tribeca Announces Nora Ephron Award". The Hollywood Reporter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 14, 2018). "Neon Acquires Nia DaCosta's 'Little Woods' After Tribeca Bow". Deadline.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Strouse, Kristy (May 4, 2018). "Tribeca Review & Interviews: LITTLE WOODS: A Confident Debut". Film Inquiry.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Coffin, Lesley. "Nora Ephron winner Nia DaCosta talks 'Little Woods'". FF2 Media. FF2 Media. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (November 27, 2018). "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta". Variety.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (February 26, 2019). "Jordan Peele's Candyman Has Found Its Hook-Handed Villain". Vulture.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Trumbore, Dave (2019-03-25). "'Candyman' Director Confirms Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Not Replacing Tony Todd". Collider. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  12. ^ Kit, Borys (March 1, 2018). "'Beale Street' Actress Teyonah Parris in Talks to Join Yahya Abdul-Mateen in 'Candyman' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Abdul-Mateen II, Yahya (September 25, 2019). "CANDYMAN". Facebook.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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