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Nia DaCosta

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Nia DaCosta
DaCosta in November 2023
Born (1989-11-08) November 8, 1989 (age 35)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2009–present

Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American filmmaker. She rose to prominence when she made her feature-length debut as a writer and director with the crime thriller film Little Woods (2018), winning the Nora Ephron Prize for Female Filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival.

After working on other projects, most notably directing two episodes of the British thriller series Top Boy in 2019, DaCosta became the first black female director to debut at No. 1 at the U.S. box office for the weekend opening of the horror film Candyman (2021). She then became the first black woman to direct a Marvel Comics film when she directed The Marvels (2023), which became the highest-grossing film directed by a black woman but was simultaneously a box-office bomb.

Early life

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Nia DaCosta was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on November 8, 1989, and grew up in Harlem. Her Jamaican mother, Charmaine DaCosta, was a founding vocalist of the band Worl-A-Girl.[1] Her original aspiration was to become a poet. When she was 16 years old, she took an A.P. English class, where she was exposed to the work of Joseph Conrad upon reading his book Heart of Darkness. She became obsessed with films after watching Apocalypse Now, which led her to study cinema from the New Hollywood era, finding inspiration in directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.[2] Citing Scorsese in particular as her primary influence, she enrolled at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and graduated in 2011.[3] While there, she met Scorsese during her work as a television production assistant.[2] She later earned a degree from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.[4]

Career

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After finishing school, DaCosta began working as a television production assistant, where she worked with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, and Steven Soderbergh.[2] DaCosta worked as a crew member on productions like Shark Loves the Amazon (2011), I Love the 1880s (2012) and Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (2013).[5] After working as a crew member on sets, she began writing short films like Livelihood (2014) and Celeste (2014).[6][7] Soon DaCosta wrote the script for Little Woods. It was one of the 12 projects chosen for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs.[8] There she became friends with Tessa Thompson, who was later cast in the role of Ollie.[9] She funded a short film version of what would eventually become her first feature film released through Neon and Kickstarter with the help of 72 backers, who eventually raised $5,100.[10][better source needed] After finishing Little Woods, DaCosta directed two episodes of the third season of the crime-drama Top Boy.[6] DaCosta became a co-creator, alongside Aron Eli Coleite, when she worked on an 8-episode web series called Ghost Tape (2020).[11] Afterward, DaCosta fulfilled a dream of hers when she began working with Jordan Peele, who later became her mentor, while working on the 2021 film Candyman.[12]

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".[13] The film's distribution rights were bought by Neon and was released in theaters in the United States on April 19, 2019.[14] Little Woods (2018) production took place in the winter of 2017 and 2018. They shot the film in North Dakota and Austin, Texas. Filming occurred over January and February when the weather was 'extreme.' DaCosta further remarked on the production aspect of the film, "It's very difficult for a woman to just pop up in the studio system. But I think the same systemic issues that affect how much work women get to make is also inside the indie space. While there are more women working, we definitely get less money".[15] DaCosta cites Debra Granik's Winter's Bone and Courtney Hunt's Frozen River were sources of inspiration for DaCosta's script.[16] In a 2018 interview, DaCosta stated the importance to her of telling stories of "women who are active" rather than passive figures in movies led by men.[17] In an interview with Inverse, she explained her inspiration for the film, "I need to explore this, and I want to tell a story about this because it's important."[18]

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 of the first film.[19] 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".[19] DaCosta explains that for Candyman, it was much easier to tell the story because the people to experience these issues are the ones sharing the story.[20] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starred in the film, with Tony Todd returning as the film's titular villain, and Teyonah Parris, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett co-starring.[21][22] Production began in the spring of 2019, and wrapped the following September.[19][23][non-primary source needed] The original teaser trailer was released on June 17, 2021. Universal Pictures released the film theatrically on August 27, 2021, and received positive reviews.[24][25] DaCosta was intent on not depicting the everyday horrors committed against black people. Her priority was to inflict psychological terror and steer clear of current event depictions. Candyman (2021) was set to be released during the Black Lives Matter movement.[3] While working on the Top Boy series in London she learned that she was on Peele's shortlist to direct the film, and she became the first African-American female director to have a film debut at the top of the box office.[26]

In August 2020, DaCosta was hired to direct the Marvel Studios film The Marvels, the sequel to Captain Marvel (2019),[12][27] after having initially approached them with a Fantastic Four / X-Men crossover movie.[28] It was released on November 10, 2023.[29] She is the fourth woman to direct a Marvel film behind Anna Boden, Cate Shortland, and Chloé Zhao. She is the youngest director and first African American woman to have directed a Marvel film.[30] The film debuted to $46.1 million, topping the box office and marking the best opening figure ever for a black female director, but also marked the lowest opening weekend total ever for an MCU film.[31][32][33] It is the first box-office bomb and the lowest-grossing film of the MCU franchise,[34][35][36] falling short of an estimated break-even point of $439.6 million.[37] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net losses of the film to be $237 million, when factoring together expenses and revenues.[35] Despite this, it surpassed A Wrinkle in Time (2018) to become the highest-grossing film directed by a Black woman.[38] The film received mixed reviews.[32] Abby Olcese, for Paste, thought that "DaCosta's assured, efficient direction" was an example of what the MCU could have been if the franchise "hadn't gotten bogged down by gloopy effects and overblown lore".[39] In contrast, James Mottram of NME felt that the film "never musters the same level of engagement" as DaCosta's Candyman even with "a script that is chock full of good lines and a cast of willing participants".[40]

DaCosta is currently working on a film adaptation of the play Hedda Gabler.[41]

Awards and nominations

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DaCosta was the first black female director to debut a film at number one at the American box office, for Candyman.[42] Her first film, Little Woods, received the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival for "excellence in storytelling by a female writer or director."[2] The film also won Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at the Fargo Film Festival 2019.[43] She also received nominations for her film Candyman for "Most Anticipated Film for the Rest of 2021" at the 2021 Hollywood Critics Association,[44] and won the awards for "Directors to Watch", and "Best Horror Film" respectively.[45][46] With her directorial work in Candyman, DaCosta received her first nomination at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture,[47] and at the Black Reel and Awards for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original/[48]

Filmography

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Short film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
2009 The Black Girl Dies Last Yes Yes No Also actor [49][50]
2013 Night and Day Yes No Yes Also editor
2014 Celeste No Yes No
Livelihood No Yes No

Feature film

Year Title Director Writer Producer
2018 Little Woods Yes Yes No
2021 Candyman Yes Yes No
2023 The Marvels Yes Yes No
TBA Hedda † Yes Yes Yes
28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple † Yes No No
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year Title Notes
2019 Top Boy Episodes "Bonfire Night" and "Smoke Gets in Your Hands"
2022 Ms. Marvel Episode: "No Normal"; mid-credits scene[51]

Theme park attractions

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Steve (August 26, 2021). "Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Obenson, Tambay (April 18, 2019). "How Nia DaCosta Went From Wide-Eyed NYU Film Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Candyman director Nia DaCosta: 'It is shocking the way people have talked to me'". The Guardian. August 26, 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "High Profile Alumni". Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "Nia DaCosta, Barrier-Breaking Director of The Marvels, on Navigating the Blockbuster Machine". Vanity Fair. September 19, 2023. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "2020–21 Lecture Series : Nia DaCosta". Pratt Institute. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Lexi Kirsch – Celeste". lexikirsch.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Sundance Institute Announces 12 Projects for 2015 January Screenwriters Lab". Sundance Institute. September 16, 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Tessa Thompson and 'Little Woods' director Nia DaCosta are breaking down Hollywood barriers". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ^ DaCosta, Nia (December 17, 2014). "Little Woods by Nia DaCosta". Kickstarter.
  11. ^ "Ghost Tape — QCODE". QCode. December 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Vary, Adam B. (August 6, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2' Lands Nia DaCosta as Director". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Schillaci, Sophie (April 16, 2013). "Tribeca Announces Nora Ephron Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019.
  14. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 14, 2018). "Neon Acquires Nia DaCosta's 'Little Woods' After Tribeca Bow". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Tessa Thompson and 'Little Woods' director Nia DaCosta are breaking down Hollywood barriers". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Strouse, Kristy (May 4, 2018). "Tribeca Review & Interviews: Little Wood: A Confident Debut". Film Inquiry. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019.
  17. ^ Coffin, Lesley (April 29, 2018). "Nora Ephron winner Nia DaCosta talks 'Little Woods'". FF2 Media. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "'The Marvels' director Nia DaCosta, interviewed by Roxane Gay". Inverse. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (November 27, 2018). "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta". Variety. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018.
  20. ^ Nia DaCosta: Crafting Cinematic Tension. August 27, 2021. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Trumbore, Dave (March 25, 2019). "'Candyman' Director Confirms Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Not Replacing Tony Todd". Collider. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 3, 2020). "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Heads To Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  23. ^ Abdul-Mateen, Yahya II (September 25, 2019). "CANDYMAN". Archived from the original on April 11, 2023 – via Facebook.
  24. ^ Hughes, William (September 12, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's Candyman delayed until August 27, 2021". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  25. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 11, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's 'Candyman' Release Delayed to 2021". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  26. ^ "Nia DaCosta becomes first Black woman director to debut film at top of box office with "Candyman"". CBS News. September 2021. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  27. ^ Newby, Richard (August 6, 2020). "The New Possibilities for 'Captain Marvel 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  28. ^ Allen, Sian (September 14, 2021). "The Marvels Director First Pitched A Fantastic 4 & X-Men Crossover". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "Nia DaCosta Will Become First-Ever Black Woman to Direct a Marvel Movie". Okayplayer. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 11, 2023). "'The Marvels' Meltdown: Disney MCU Seeing Lowest B.O. Opening Ever At $47M+ — What Went Wrong". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023. The Marvels scored the best opening for a movie by a Black female director, the title helmed by Nia DaCosta.
  32. ^ a b Rahul Malhotra (November 12, 2023). "'The Marvels' Marks Record Low Domestic Box Office Debut for the MCU". Collider. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  33. ^ Barsanti, Sam (November 12, 2023). "The Marvels opens at the top of the weekend box office". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  34. ^ Attributed to multiple references: * Hibberd, James (December 7, 2023). "The Biggest Hollywood Winners and Losers of 2023: From Margot Robbie to Marvel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024. after the film became the biggest bomb in MCU history * Lussier, Germain (December 4, 2023). "Disney Gives Up on The Marvels". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024. Marvel Studios is not reacting well, at all, to having its first real box office bomb in 15 years. [...] One bomb in 30 or so is, obviously, pretty damned incredible, but you wouldn't know it from how Marvel and Disney are handling it. * Jones, Tamera (November 14, 2023). "What Made 'The Marvels' the MCU's First Box Office Bomb?". Collider. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024. Capping off its opening weekend at $47 million domestically and $110.3 million total, The Marvels becomes the MCU's lowest-earning superhero feature and Marvel's first box office bomb
  35. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 2, 2024). "Disney Detonates Four Bombs In Deadline's 2023 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  36. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (December 3, 2023). "'The Marvels' Ends Box Office Run as Lowest-Grossing MCU Movie in History". Variety. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  37. ^ Reid, Caroline (September 20, 2023). "Disney Reveals $270 Million Bill For 'The Marvels'". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023. It spent $274.8 million and banked a $55 million subsidy from the government of the United Kingdom where the movie was made. This brought its net spending down to $219.8 million meaning that the movie will have to gross at least $439.6 million at the box office to break even as studios get around half of theater takings.
  38. ^ Murray, Conor (December 4, 2023). "All The Records (Good And Bad) Set By 'The Marvels,' Marvel's Lowest-Grossing Film". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  39. ^ Olcese, Abby (November 8, 2023). "A Colorful Team-Up Makes The Marvels the Most Fun the MCU Has Been in Years". Paste. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  40. ^ Mottram, James (November 8, 2023). "'The Marvels' review: a quirky cosmic caper that lacks punch". NME. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  41. ^ "Trance with Nia DaCosta". Audioboom. April 9, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  42. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 30, 2021). "'Candyman': Nia DaCosta Becomes First Black Female Filmmaker To Open Pic To No. 1 At Domestic B.O." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  43. ^ "Fargo Film Festival kicks off with full slate of screenings". InForum. March 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  44. ^ "The 2021 Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Midseason Awards Nominations". Next Best Picture. June 29, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  45. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (February 27, 2021). "Variety's 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards Delves into Art of Moviemaking". Variety. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  46. ^ "The 2021 Sunset Circle Awards (SCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. December 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  47. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 18, 2022). "NAACP Image Awards Nominations: Jennifer Hudson, Lil Nas X, H.E.R., 'The Harder They Fall,' 'Insecure' Lead". Variety. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  48. ^ Fraley, Jason (December 16, 2021). "'The Harder They Fall' leads Black Reel Awards with record 20 nominations". WTOP News. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  49. ^ Elderkin, Beth (May 1, 2020). "Candyman Director Nia DaCosta Talks Scares, Sequels, and Fan Service". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  50. ^ The Black Girl Dies Last. August 5, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via YouTube.
  51. ^ Hatchett, Keisha (July 14, 2022). "Ms. Marvel Directors Discuss That Post-Credits Cameo, X-Men Reference". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  52. ^ Libbey, Dirk (July 1, 2022). "'The Marvels' Director Actually Teamed Up With Brie Larson For A Disney Project Ahead Of Her MCU Debut". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
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