User:GreenBruchert8/Nia DaCosta

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Biography:

Nia Dacosta was born on November 8th 1989 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA(3) She is a filmmaker, writer, director, and producer. She made her feature film debut as a writer and director for her crime/drama film Little Woods (2018) (9). The film was released on April 21, 2018. Dacosta gained wide acclaim for her work and garnered the Nora Ephron Award for female filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival(4). Dacosta successfully became the youngest black female director to hit No. 1 at the box office for the weekend opening of her horror mystery film Candyman (2021) (8). She is currently in pre-production, writing for her upcoming film Hedda Gabler (2023), and the television series Lincoln Conspiracy Theory which she is co-producing.(3)

Early Life and Education
Nia Dacosta was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York(4). She grew up in Harlem and Brooklyn and was highly influenced by directors Coppola and Scorsese(8). She attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts, because her idol, Scorcese, was an alumni. She went on to receive her graduate degree in London from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama(10).

Career:
Dacosta began working in film as an additional crew member on the set of Shark Loves the Amazon (2011)(3). She proceeded to work as a production associate and researcher for the television series I Love the 1880s (2012) and Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (2013)(3). After working as a crew member on sets, she began writing short films like Livelihood (2014) and Celeste (2014)(3). Soon, Dacosta made her feature film debut with Little Woods (2018). Originally developed as an indie film, Little Woods (2018) was created by DaCosta and became one of 12 projects chosen for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab. DaCosta was then paif to make the original film into a feature film. Dacosta received appraisal for her work on the film which was soon released by Neon(4). Dacosta went on to become a co-creator alongside Aron Eli Coleite of an 8 episode webcast series called Ghost Tape (2020)(3). After this web series (3) Dacosta fulfilled a dream of hers when she began working with Jordan Peele, who later became her mentor, while working on the Candyman (2022) film (10). Soon, Dacosta began working on The Marvels (2023) film, making her the first black woman to direct a Marvel film. Dacosta is currently in pre-production for her upcoming film Hedda. She is in the development stages for her work on The Lincoln Conspiracy television series in which she is a co-producer.

Stylistic Approach
DaCosta is a longtime horror fan. When she was in high school she made a short film titled, “The Black Girl Dies Last.” For Jordan Peele’s movie Candyman(2021)(8) DaCosta was asked to deliver a pitch for the film, which included several horror classics. Jordan Peele remarked on DaCosta as having “a great sense of the unsettling.”(8) When reflecting on her work in Candyman (2021) DaCosta stated, “I love gore; I love body horror; I love all that stuff. When it’s about enhancing the psychological terror, go for it. But I didn’t want to depict what we see every day.”(8) DaCosta presents stories with overlapping themes of pain and trauma(8). She focuses her attention to the complicated dynamics between characters and their emotional ties.(4)

Personal Life
Dacosta was raised in Brooklyn and Harlem, New York. She initially wanted to become an actor but her mother helped her to realize that she wanted to direct, and have more creative control. She attended New York University’s Tisch School and graduated in 2011(6) of the Arts because her idol Director, Martin Scorses was an alumni. She later went to grad school at The Royal Central School for Speech and Drama. Dacosta grew up being an avid fan of the Marvel series, and was very excited to direct and produce the Film(4).

Films
Little Woods:

Little Woods was one of 12 projects chosen for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dacosta mentioned how she was made to work with “very scarce resources”(10). Dacosta further remarked on the production aspect of the film with, “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”(10). Production of Little Woods (2018) took place during the winter of 2017 going into 2018. They shot the film in North Dakota and Austin, Texas. Filming took place over the months of January and February where the weather was ‘extreme’(10). The film premiered later that same year, during the summer of 2018 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film received critical acclaim and was soon acquired by Neon(10).

Candyman:

Dacosta worked on the film Candyman (2022) alongside Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. The film is a “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 horror film classic Candyman (1992), and is produced by Jordan Peele through his Monkeypaw Productions(8). The film's release date was originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jordan Peele first took notice of Dacosta through her work on Little Woods (2018). Dacosta delivered a pitch to Jordan Peele to work on the Candyman(2021) film(8), which ended up being well-received by both Rosenfeld and Peele. The new film picks up from the original taking place in downtown Chicago, Cabrini-Green. The original teaser trailer was released on June 17th 2021. Dacosta was intent about 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(8).

Marvels:

Dacosta took the opportunity to work on The Marvels film when she was just 31 years old, making her the first black woman, and youngest person to direct a Marvel film(4). The Marvels (2023) follows the story of three heroes, Captain Marvel played by, Oscar-Winner Brie Larson, Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris, and Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel (4). The film is a sequel to Captain Marvel (2019)(4). The film follows themes from Disney+ television shows, portraying Monica as an adult who garners superhero abilities, meanwhile “Ms.Marvel '' follows Kamala’s origin superhero story. The trio bands together to defeat a new villain, Dar-benn who is played by another woman, Zawe Ashton. The film cost over $250 million dollars and was released on November 10th. The film is an hour and 45 minutes long(4). When Dacosta was asked about ‘how she feels about shattering so many glass ceilings?’ she responded with, “For other young Black women who want to be filmmakers, I think it’s important to be an example.”(4)

Filmography List
Additional Crew Member(3)


 * Shark Loves the Amazon (2011)
 * I Love the 1880s (2012)
 * Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (2013)

Writer and Director


 * Livelihood (short)(2014)
 * Celeste(short) (2014)
 * Little Woods (2018)
 * Ghost Tape (2020)
 * Candyman (2021)
 * The Marvels (2023)
 * Hedda (pre production) (to be decided)
 * The Lincoln Conspiracy (pre-production) (to be decided)

Awards and Achievements (3)
Heartland Film Awards

-Dacosta was the 2018 winner of the Truly Moving Picture Award for her work in the feature film Little Woods (2018) (IMdB) (Heartland film)

Gasparilla International Film Festival


 * Dacosta was a 2019 Nominee fat the Gasparilla International Film Festival for Best Narrative Feature for her work on Little Woods (2018) (Imdb)

Fargo Film Festival


 * -2019 Winner for Best Director in Little Woods (2018) at the Fargo Film Festival


 * -2019  Winner for Best Narrative Feature for Little Woods

Tribeca Film Festival


 * 2018 Nominee Best Narrative Feature for Little Woods

Black Reel Awards


 * Nominee for Outstanding Director for Candyman (2022)
 * Nominee for Outstanding Screenplay for Candyman (2022), shared with Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld

Palm Springs International Film Festival


 * 2021 Winner for Directors to Watch for Candyman

Las Vegas Critics Society Awards:


 * 2021 Nominee for Sierre award for Breakout Filmmaker of the Year for Candyman

Image Awards (NAACP)


 * 2022 Nominee for outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for Candyman

Denver International Film Festival:


 * 2018 Nomine for an American Independent Award for Best Feature Film Little Woods


 * 2018 Winner of the American Independent award, Honorable Mention for Little Woods

Bram Stoker Awards


 * 2021 Nominee for a best Screenplay in Candyman

Sunset Film Circle Awards


 * 2021 Winner of SFC Award, Five Fire Directors for the Film Candyman