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Janicza Bravo
Janicza Bravo on The MacGuffin.jpg
Bravo in 2017
Born
Janicza Bravo

New York City, U.S.
Alma mater New York University
Occupation
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
Years active 2010–present
Notable work
 Gregory Go Boom (2013)
Lemon (2017)
Zola (2021)
Spouse(s)
Brett Gelman
​
​
(m. 2015; div. 2018)​

Janicza Bravo is an American filmmaker who works as a director, producer, and screenwriter. A director guides the actors and the movie's overall look. A producer helps manage the project, and a screenwriter writes the story and dialogue.

Bravo is known for her unique films. Her short film Gregory Go Boom won a big award at the Sundance Film Festival. She also directed the movies Lemon and Zola.

Early Life and Education

Bravo was born in New York City. Her parents were from Colón, Panama, and worked as tailors, people who make and alter clothes. When Bravo was a baby, her mother joined the U.S. military.

Because of this, Bravo grew up in two different worlds. She lived in both Colón and on an Army base in Panama City, Panama. When she was 12, her family moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

For college, Bravo went to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She studied how to direct and design for plays, including costumes and sets. After college, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a stylist before she started making films.

Career in Filmmaking

Bravo began her career by writing and directing several short films. These shorter movies helped her develop her unique style.

Award-Winning Short Films

Her first short film was called Eat (2011). It was about a woman who gets locked out of her apartment and meets a strange neighbor.

In 2013, she released Gregory Go Boom. This dark comedy starred actor Michael Cera as a young man in a wheelchair. The film was a huge success and won a jury award at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2014, Filmmaker magazine named her one of its "25 New Faces of Independent Film."

Another important short film was Hard World for Small Things (2016). It was a virtual reality film that showed a day in the life of a person in South Central L.A.. The film was inspired by a sad event from her own life. It explored serious themes about race and society.

Directing Feature Films

Lemon (2017)

In 2016, Bravo directed her first full-length movie, Lemon. She co-wrote the script with her husband at the time, actor Brett Gelman, who also starred in it. The movie is a comedy that also features well-known actors like Michael Cera and Judy Greer. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017.

Zola (2020)

Bravo's next major film was Zola, which she directed and co-wrote. The movie is famous for being based on a real story that was first told in a 148-tweet thread on Twitter. The story is about a waitress from Detroit who goes on a wild road trip to Florida. The film was very popular and was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Work in Television

Besides her own films, Bravo has directed episodes for many popular TV shows.

  • Atlanta: She directed the episode "Juneteenth" for this award-winning show created by Donald Glover.
  • Love: She directed an episode for this Netflix comedy series.
  • Mrs. America: She directed an episode of this historical series starring Cate Blanchett.
  • The Bear: She directed an episode for the third season of this hit show.
  • Poker Face: She directed an episode of this mystery series.

Other Projects

In 2022, Bravo was chosen as one of nine directors to design special rooms for an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibit was called In America: An Anthology of Fashion.

Personal Life

Bravo is Latina and speaks Spanish fluently. She is also Jewish.

In 2015, she married actor and comedian Brett Gelman. They had met while working on a commercial together. They lived in Los Angeles but divorced in 2018.

Awards

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
2011 Eat Yes Yes No Yes Short
2013 Gregory Go Boom Yes Yes Yes Yes Short
2014 Pauline Alone Yes Yes Yes Yes Short
2015 Woman of the Year Yes No No No Short
2016 Hard World for Small Things Yes Yes Yes No Short
2016 Woman in Deep Yes Yes Yes No Short
2016 Man Rots From the Head Yes Yes Yes No Short
2017 Lemon Yes Yes Yes No
2017 Hell In The Afternoon Yes Yes Yes No Short
2020 Zola Yes Yes No No
2022 Women's Tales: House Comes With a Bird Yes Yes No No Miu Miu short

Television

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2015 Hot Package No Yes No 5 episodes
2016 The New Yorker Presents Yes Yes No Episode: "Couple's First Dinner Party, Serves Six"
2016 Atlanta Yes No No Episode: "Juneteenth"
2018 Divorce Yes No No Episode: "Ohio"
2018 Love Yes No No Episode: "Bertie's Birthday"
2018 Here and Now Yes No No Episode: "Yes"
2018 Dear White People Yes No No Episode: "Volume 2: Chapter IX"
2018 Forever Yes No No 2 episodes
2020 Mrs. America Yes No No Episode: "Houston"
2020 Little America No Story No Episode: "The Cowboy"
2021 In Treatment Yes No No 4 episodes
2021 Them Yes No No Episode: "Covenant I."
2022 Kindred Yes No Executive Directed episode: "Dana"
2023 Poker Face Yes No No Episode: "The Hook"
2024 The Listeners Yes No Executive Directed 4 episodes
2025 The Bear Yes No No Episode: "Worms"
2025 Too Much Yes No No Episode: "One Wedding and a ..."

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
2013 In a World... Snacks
2017 Love Lorna Episode: "Friends Night Out"
2018 Camping Nina-Joy 8 episodes
2019 Greener Grass Marriott
2020 Fully Realized Humans Mare
2022 Sharp Stick Mercedes
2025 Too Much Kim Keith Independiente 5 episodes
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