Channing Godfrey Peoples facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Channing Godfrey Peoples
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Baylor University (BA) University of Southern California (MFA) |
| Occupation | Writer, director, producer |
| Years active | 2013–present |
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Notable work
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Miss Juneteenth |
| Spouse(s) | Neil Creque Williams |
| Children | 1 |
Channing Godfrey Peoples is an American writer, director, and producer. She is known for her first feature film, Miss Juneteenth, which was highly praised by critics.
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Early Life and Education
Channing Godfrey Peoples grew up in Fort Worth, in an area she called "Black Texas." Her family often went to Black theater shows. This helped her discover and love classic books by Black writers like Toni Morrison.
She earned her first college degree in theater from Baylor University. Later, she received a master's degree in fine arts from the University of Southern California.
Career Highlights
Miss Juneteenth Film
Peoples started writing Miss Juneteenth in 2013, soon after finishing film school. She was inspired because she grew up celebrating Juneteenth and attending Miss Juneteenth pageants. This holiday is very important to her.
She worked on her screenplay at the Sundance Institute and other writing workshops. Before the movie began filming, Filmmaker Magazine named her one of their "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2018.
Miss Juneteenth was Peoples' first movie as a director. It first showed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. The movie was released for people to watch at home on Juneteenth of that same year. Critics loved the film, and it has a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Peoples says that directors like Julie Dash and Jonathan Demme have influenced her work. Her mentor, Charles Burnett, has also been a big inspiration.
Other Creative Work
Channing Godfrey Peoples wrote two episodes for the third season of the TV show Queen Sugar.
In January 2021, it was announced that Peoples signed a special deal with Universal Content Productions. Her first project under this deal is to create a TV show based on her movie, Miss Juneteenth.
Peoples also wrote and directed a short film called Doretha's Blues. This film premiered at SXSW in 2021. It stars Tonea Stewart as a former musician whose son was killed. The story shows how she struggles to sing again after her loss. Peoples was inspired to write this film after the death of Michael Brown, as she wanted to explore the lives of families left behind. Like Miss Juneteenth, Doretha's Blues is set in Fort Worth, Texas.
Personal Life
Channing Godfrey Peoples is married to Neil Creque Williams, who is also a producer. They met while studying at the University of Southern California. They have one daughter, who was born in 2018.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Writer | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Miss Juneteenth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 | Doretha's Blues | Yes | Yes | No |
Awards and Recognition
Channing Godfrey Peoples and her film Miss Juneteenth have received many awards and nominations:
- In 2020, she won the Louis Black Lone Star Award at SXSW.
- She also won Best Narrative Feature at the BlackStar Film Festival in 2020.
- The National Board of Review honored her with the Best Directorial Debut award in 2020.
- She received the Best First Feature award at the Satellite Awards in 2020.
- In 2021, she won the New Voice Award at the Austin Film Festival.
