Nneka Onuorah facts for kids

Nneka Onuorah (born in 1988) is an American director and producer. She is well-known for her first film, The Same Difference (2015). This movie explored different roles within the Black lesbian community. In 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program. This award was for her work on the show Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Early Life and Education

Nneka Onuorah was born in Queens, New York. She grew up in the LeFrak City neighborhood. Her father is from Nigeria, and her mother is African-American.

When she was in fifth grade, she moved to Atlanta to live with her grandmother. She later returned to Queens for high school. Nneka studied dance at the Broadway Dance Center. She also earned an associate degree in psychology from LaGuardia Community College.

Nneka Onuorah's Career

Starting in Television

In 2009, Nneka Onuorah began an internship at BET. She was later hired as a producer there. She worked on shows like Black Girls Rock! and various music documentaries.

After six years, Onuorah left BET. She wanted to focus on making her first film.

Directing Documentaries

Onuorah started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund her first film, The Same Difference. This documentary looked at behavioral roles in Black lesbian communities. She wanted to make this film because she felt there weren't enough stories about Black LGBTQIA people in mainstream media.

She did not reach her fundraising goal on Kickstarter. Instead, she paid for the film herself. The Same Difference was first shown in June 2015.

She directed the Netflix series First and Last. She also produced My House. This Viceland series was about the New York Black and Latinx ballroom community. Onuorah had attended balls when she was younger.

In 2019, Onuorah and Giselle Bailey worked together. They directed and produced a documentary called Burn Down the House. This film was about Parisian dancer Kiddy Smile. It premiered at the NewFest LGBTQ Film Festival.

In 2021, Onuorah and Bailey directed and produced The Legend of the Underground. This documentary focused on the Nigerian LGBTQ community. It showed members who had left Nigeria to seek safety due to laws against LGBTQ people.

Working with Lizzo and Megan Thee Stallion

In 2022, Onuorah directed the eight-episode Amazon Prime Video reality series Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. The show was hosted by singer-songwriter Lizzo. It featured plus-size dancers competing to join Lizzo's touring dance group, the Big Grrrls.

The show focused on supporting the dancers. It also highlighted their inner strength and potential. Onuorah won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program for her work on this series.

She also directed and produced Megan Thee Stallion's 2024 documentary, Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words.

See also

In Spanish: Nneka Onuorah para niños