Nia DaCosta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nia DaCosta
DaCosta in November 2023
Born	(1989-11-08) November 8, 1989 (age 35) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2009–present

Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American filmmaker. She became well-known after making her first full-length movie, a crime thriller called Little Woods (2018). For this film, she won the Nora Ephron Prize for female filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival.

After working on other projects, like directing two episodes of the British TV series Top Boy in 2019, DaCosta made history. Her horror film Candyman (2021) was the first movie directed by a Black woman to open at number one at the U.S. box office. Later, she became the first Black woman to direct a Marvel Comics movie, The Marvels (2023). This film became the highest-grossing movie ever directed by a Black woman, even though it didn't make as much money as expected overall.

Early life and inspiration

Nia DaCosta was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on November 8, 1989. She grew up in Harlem. Her mother, Charmaine DaCosta, was a singer in the band Worl-A-Girl.

Nia first wanted to be a poet. When she was 16, she read the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad in an English class. After watching the movie Apocalypse Now, she became very interested in films. She studied movies from the New Hollywood era and was inspired by directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.

She especially admired Martin Scorsese. She went to film school at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and finished in 2011. While there, she met Scorsese when she was helping out on TV shows. She also earned a degree from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Filmmaking career

After school, DaCosta started working as a production assistant on TV shows. She worked with famous filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, and Steven Soderbergh. She helped on productions such as Shark Loves the Amazon (2011) and Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life (2013).

First films and success

After working behind the scenes, she began writing short films like Livelihood (2014) and Celeste (2014). Soon, DaCosta wrote the script for her first full-length movie, Little Woods. It was chosen as one of 12 projects for the 2015 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs. There, she became friends with actress Tessa Thompson, who later starred in the movie.

DaCosta made a short film version of Little Woods with money raised from supporters online. The full movie was filmed in North Dakota and Austin, Texas, during the cold winter of 2017 and 2018. DaCosta said it was hard for women to get money for independent films. She wanted to tell stories about "women who are active" and make their own choices.

Little Woods premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. It won the Nora Ephron award for great storytelling by a female writer or director. The movie was released in theaters in the United States in April 2019.

Directing Candyman

After Little Woods, DaCosta directed two episodes of the crime-drama series Top Boy. She also helped create an 8-episode web series called Ghost Tape (2020). Then, she got to work with Jordan Peele, who became her mentor, on the 2021 horror film Candyman. This was a dream come true for her.

Candyman was a new movie that continued the story of the original Candyman film from 1992. It was set in the same Chicago neighborhood. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starred in the film, with Tony Todd returning as the main bad guy. The movie was released in theaters on August 27, 2021, and people liked it. DaCosta wanted to create psychological fear in the movie, rather than showing everyday violence.

DaCosta became the first African-American female director to have a movie open at the top of the box office with Candyman.

Directing The Marvels

In August 2020, DaCosta was chosen to direct the Marvel Studios film The Marvels. This movie is a sequel to Captain Marvel (2019). It was released on November 10, 2023.

Nia DaCosta is the fourth woman to direct a Marvel film. She is also the youngest director and the first African American woman to direct a Marvel movie. The Marvels opened at number one at the box office, making it the best opening for a film directed by a Black woman. However, it also had the lowest opening weekend for a MCU film and didn't make as much money as expected.

Despite this, The Marvels became the highest-grossing film ever directed by a Black woman.

Future projects

DaCosta is currently working on a movie based on the play Hedda Gabler.

Awards and nominations

Nia DaCosta made history as the first Black female director to have a film, Candyman, debut at number one at the American box office.

Her first movie, Little Woods, won the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. It also won Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at the Fargo Film Festival in 2019.

For her work on Candyman, DaCosta was nominated for "Most Anticipated Film for the Rest of 2021" by the Hollywood Critics Association. She won awards for "Directors to Watch" and "Best Horror Film". She also received nominations at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards and the Black Reel Awards for her directing and writing.

Filmography

Short film

Feature film

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2018	Little Woods	Yes	Yes	No
2021	Candyman	Yes	Yes	No
2023	The Marvels	Yes	Yes	No
2026	28 Years Later: The Bone Temple	Yes	No	No
TBA	Hedda	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Theme park attractions

• Avengers: Quantum Encounter (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Nia DaCosta para niños