Kevin Willmott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Willmott
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1959 Junction City, Kansas, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Marymount College (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Film director and writer college film professor |
| Employer | University of Kansas |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay |
Kevin Willmott, born on August 31, 1959, is an American film director and writer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which is one of the highest honors in filmmaking. Kevin Willmott is known for making movies that explore important topics, especially those related to African American history and experiences. He also teaches film at the University of Kansas.
Contents
About Kevin Willmott
Kevin Willmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas. He went to Marymount College and earned a degree in Drama. Later, he studied Dramatic Writing at New York University. These studies helped him become a skilled writer and director for films.
Willmott's films often tell stories that make people think. For example, he directed and wrote movies like Ninth Street, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, and Bunker Hill. These films often look at different parts of American history and society.
His Important Films
One of his films, The Only Good Indian (2009), was about Native American children. It showed how they were forced to change their ways at special boarding schools. Another film, Jayhawkers (2014), told the story of famous basketball player Wilt Chamberlain and the 1956 Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.
Kevin Willmott has also worked with the well-known director Spike Lee. They wrote the movie BlacKkKlansman together. For this film, they won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019. They worked together again on the film Da 5 Bloods, which came out in 2020.
Teaching and Activism
Besides making movies, Kevin Willmott is a professor at the University of Kansas. He teaches students about film. In 2017, he showed his concern about weapons on campus by teaching classes while wearing a special vest. This was his way of protesting and raising awareness.
He also won the Best Director award at the American Indian Film Festival for The Only Good Indian. For his film Jayhawkers, he received money from people online through a crowdsourcing website called Kickstarter. This shows how many people believed in his projects.
Personal Life
Kevin Willmott is a Catholic. He has said that Fr Dan Berrigan, a Jesuit priest, was an important influence on his life and work.
Selected Filmography
Kevin Willmott has been involved in many films and TV shows. Here are some of the most notable ones where he worked as a director, writer, or producer:
- 1999: Ninth Street (Director, writer, producer)
- 2004: C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (Director and writer)
- 2008: Bunker Hill (Director, writer, and producer)
- 2008: The Only Good Indian (Director and producer)
- 2013: Destination: Planet Negro (Director and writer)
- 2013: Jayhawkers (Director, writer, and producer)
- 2015: Chi-Raq (Writer)
- 2018: BlacKkKlansman (Writer)
- 2020: Da 5 Bloods (Writer)
- 2020: The 24th (Director and co-writer)
- 2020: William Allen White: What's the Matter with Kansas? (Director and writer)
He has also acted in some of his films and other projects, often in smaller roles.
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Willmott para niños
