Nia DaCosta

Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American director and screenwriter. 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 upcoming horror film Candyman (2021).[2] In August 2020, it was announced that DaCosta would direct the upcoming sequel to Captain Marvel, becoming the first black woman and the youngest filmmaker to direct a Marvel film.[3]

Nia DaCosta
Born (1989-11-08) November 8, 1989
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Education
    • New York University Tisch School of the Arts
    • The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation
  • Director
  • screenwriter
Years active2009–present

Early life and education

DaCosta was born in 1989/1990, 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 interested in filmmaking. This led DaCosta to research 1970s film where she found inspiration in directors such as Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola.[2] Citing Scorsese as a top inspiration, DaCosta enrolled at his alma mater, New York University Tisch School of the Arts. There, she met 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.[4] DaCosta 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.[5]

Little Woods
Main article: 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."[6] It was then bought by Neon and distributed through North America in April 2019.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

Candyman
Main article: Candyman (2021 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.[10] 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."[10] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to star in the film,[11] with Tony Todd returning as the film's titular villain,[12] and Teyonah Parris[13] and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett[14] set to star alongside him. Production began in the spring of 2019 and wrapped the following September.[10][15] Universal Pictures plans to release the film theatrically on August 27, 2021.[16][17]

Captain Marvel sequel

In August 2020, it was revealed that DaCosta would be directing the upcoming sequel to the Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel (2019).[18][3] It is currently scheduled to be released on November 11, 2022.[19]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director Writer Notes Ref.
2018 Little Woods Yes Yes
2019 Top Boy Yes No 2 episodes
2021 Candyman Yes Yes Co-written with Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld
2022 Captain Marvel 2 Yes No [20]

Short films
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes Ref.
2009 The Black Girl Dies Last Yes Yes No Also actor [21][22]
2013 Night and Day Yes No Yes Also editor
2014 Celeste No Yes No
Livelihood No Yes No

References
  1. Obenson, Tambay (2019-04-18). "How Nia DaCosta Went From Wide-Eyed NYU Film Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  2. Obenson, Tambay (April 18, 2019). "How Nia DaCosta Went From Wide-Eyed NYU Film Grad to Hollywood Director on the Rise". IndieWire.
  3. Vary, Adam B. (August 6, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2' Lands Nia DaCosta as Director".
  4. "Sundance Institute Announces 12 Projects for 2015 January Screenwriters Lab". Sundance Institute. September 16, 2014.
  5. DaCosta, Nia (December 17, 2014). "Little Woods by Nia DaCosta". Kickstarter.
  6. Schillaci, Sophie (April 16, 2013). "Tribeca Announces Nora Ephron Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. Hipes, Patrick (June 14, 2018). "Neon Acquires Nia DaCosta's 'Little Woods' After Tribeca Bow". Deadline.
  8. Strouse, Kristy (May 4, 2018). "Tribeca Review & Interviews: LITTLE WOODS: A Confident Debut". Film Inquiry.
  9. Coffin, Lesley. "Nora Ephron winner Nia DaCosta talks 'Little Woods'". FF2 Media. FF2 Media. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  10. Kroll, Justin (November 27, 2018). "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta". Variety.
  11. Crucchiola, Jordan (February 26, 2019). "Jordan Peele's Candyman Has Found Its Hook-Handed Villain". Vulture.
  12. Trumbore, Dave (2019-03-25). "'Candyman' Director Confirms Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Not Replacing Tony Todd". Collider. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  13. Kit, Borys (March 1, 2018). "'Beale Street' Actress Teyonah Parris in Talks to Join Yahya Abdul-Mateen in 'Candyman' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. 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.
  15. Abdul-Mateen, Yahya II (September 25, 2019). "CANDYMAN". Facebook.
  16. Hughes, William. "Nia DaCosta's Candyman delayed until August 27, 2021". A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  17. Rubin, Rebecca (September 11, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's 'Candyman' Release Delayed to 2021". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  18. "The New Possibilities for 'Captain Marvel 2'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  19. 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.
  20. Kroll, Justin (August 5, 2020). "'Captain Marvel 2': 'Candyman's Nia DaCosta To Direct Sequel". Deadline Hollywood.
  21. Elderkin, Beth (May 1, 2020). "Gizmodo".
  22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6vR0o-SFMw
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