{"id":82147,"date":"2015-01-14T06:01:19","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T06:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=82147"},"modified":"2015-01-14T07:01:56","modified_gmt":"2015-01-14T07:01:56","slug":"7-black-female-directors-earning-brilliant-reviews-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=82147","title":{"rendered":"7 black female directors earning brilliant reviews in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Though she didn&#8217;t take home the prize, this year Ava DuVernay became the first black woman in history to be nominated for a Golden Globe for best director.<\/p>\n<p>The indie director took a leap into the mainstream after helming <em>Selma<\/em>, the biopic about Martin Luther King, Jr. If she&#8217;s up for an Academy Award, she&#8217;ll once again be the first black woman nominated in a best director category.<\/p>\n<p>However, as DuVernay has often said herself, she&#8217;s not the first black woman to be deserving of major award nominations. Film history is stamped with talented black women working behind the scenes. Here are just a <em>few<\/em> of many, many more you should familiarize yourself with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Gina Prince-Bythewood<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"slides\">\n<li class=\"slide top\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.3.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyLzdkL2dpbmEuMWRiNmMuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc\/a44b8984\/cd1\/gina.jpg\" alt=\"Gina\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood broke into the mainstream after directing the 2000 romantic drama <em>Love and Basketball<\/em>. She&#8217;s directed two more features since then (both of which she wrote herself), including the critically acclaimed 2014 drama <em>Beyond the Lights<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>2. Amma Asante<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.0.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyLzdhL2FtbWEuY2IzMDIuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc\/4396355d\/111\/amma.jpg\" alt=\"Amma\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>British director Amma Asante achieved critical success after writing and directing her debut film, <em>A Way of Life<\/em>, in 2004. In 2013, she directed her sophomore feature, <em>Belle<\/em>, about a mixed race girl raised in 18th century England. The film was a breakthrough vehicle for star Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who also starred in Prince-Bythewood&#8217;s <em>Beyond the Lights<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>3. Kasi Lemmons<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.3.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyL2I2L2thc2kuM2FkY2MuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc\/cec30a36\/eae\/kasi.jpg\" alt=\"Kasi\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Another doubled-down writer\/director, Kasi Lemmons debuted in Hollywood in 1997 with <em>Eve&#8217;s Bayou<\/em>, a Southern gothic indie, produced by and starring Samuel L. Jackson. The film won her an Independent Spirit Award, putting her on the map as a director to watch.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, she&#8217;s helmed the drama <em>The Caveman&#8217;s Valentine<\/em>, again with Jackson, and <em>Talk to Me<\/em>, starring Don Cheadle. In 2013, she wrote and directed the star-studded musical <em>Black Nativity<\/em>. Some of the big names included Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Nas, Jennifer Hudson and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>4. Julie Dash<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.0.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyLzE2L2p1bGllLjFhNWM2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn\/526ad214\/e88\/julie.jpg\" alt=\"Julie\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Before 1991, no black female director had <em>ever<\/em> had a film receive a general theatrical release. Julie Dash changed that. Her debut feature film <em>Daughters of the Dust<\/em> broke down that barrier in a dramatic fashion, a look at Gullah culture off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Since then, she&#8217;s directed numerous TV movies, most noticeably the Emmy-nominated 2002 film <em>The Rosa Parks Story<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>5. Darnell Martin<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.2.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyLzAxL2Rhcm5lbGwuNzAwODEuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc\/c8249ea2\/a24\/darnell.jpg\" alt=\"Darnell\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Darnell Martin has done what precious few mortals have \u2014 she&#8217;s directed Beyonc\u00e9 in a film.<\/p>\n<p>The writer\/director first came onto the scene in 1994 with <em>I Like It Like That<\/em>, a dramatic comedy about a Puerto Rican couple in the Bronx. From there, she found her niche in TV directing, handling episodes of everything from <em>Grey&#8217;s Anatomy<\/em> to <em>Oz<\/em> to <em>ER<\/em>. In 2008, she jumped back into film, writing and directing <em>Cadillac Records<\/em>, a biopic about the rise of record label Chess Records, in which Beyonc\u00e9 portrays a brassy Etta James.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>6. Dee Rees<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.0.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyL2YzL2RlZS43NzM0Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk4NTB4ODUwPgplCWpwZw\/d99b7672\/fcc\/dee.jpg\" alt=\"Dee\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>Having Spike Lee in your corner can really help a fledgling film director. At 27 years old, Dee Reesenrolled at NYU&#8217;s film school where she met the Oscar-winning director and interned on his films. In that time she wrote the short <em>Pariah<\/em>, which eventually became a feature film in 2011. The film was a critical hit, garnering a fresh 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n<p>Next on the young director&#8217;s plate is an HBO biopic about Bessie Smith, starring Queen Latifah.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit\"><strong>7. Euzhan Palcy<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/rack.0.mshcdn.com\/media\/ZgkyMDE1LzAxLzEyLzMzL2V1emhhbi41OWNlMC5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk4NTB4ODUwPgplCWpwZw\/00c291b0\/e9b\/euzhan.jpg\" alt=\"Euzhan\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>In 1989, French West Indies director Euzhan Palcy became the first black female director to have a film produced by a major Hollywood studio, MGM. It was <em>A Dry White Season<\/em>, a heavy political drama about apartheid in South Africa. It starred Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon and Marlon Brando (who was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role). The film is also notable for being the only movie Brando ever did with a female director.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to that, she won a C\u00e9sar award (one of the highest film awards in France) for her 1984 film<em>Rue cases n\u00e9gres<\/em> (<em>Black Shack Alley<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Source:\u00a0mashable.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Though she didn&#8217;t take home the prize, this year Ava DuVernay became the first black woman in history to be nominated for a Golden Globe for best director. The indie director took a leap into the mainstream after helming Selma, the biopic about Martin Luther King, Jr. If she&#8217;s up for an Academy Award, she&#8217;ll [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":82148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34,6],"class_list":["post-82147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ghana-standards-authority","tag-togbe-afede"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}