OUR HERO OUR PRIDE - RICK FAMUYIWA

OUR HERO OUR PRIDE - RICK FAMUYIWA 




Rick Famuyiwa (born June 18, 1973) is a Nigerian-American film director, producer and screenwriter.
Rick Famuyiwa graduated from the University Of Southern California (USC) and has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Film & Television Production and Critical Studies, from the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences and the School of Cinematic Arts, respectively. Rick Famuyiwa is a member of the Director’s Guild of America.

Famuyiwa worked intimately with film professor Todd Boyd, who later help write and produce his first feature film. In 1996, prior to graduation, Famuyiwa created a 12-minute short film entitled Blacktop Lingo that garnered critical positive feedback and led to his invitation to the Sundance Filmmaker’s Institute. In 1997, during his time at the Sundance Director’s Lab, Famuyiwa perfected his craft and put the finishing touches on The Wood, which was his first feature film. In 1999, Famuyiwa married Glenita Mosley whom he met at the University of California, Los Angeles.

CAREER:

The Wood (1999)
Rick Famuyiwa’s first feature film was a semi-autobiographical account of his upbringing in Inglewood. Working at the Beverly Hills Nike town while formulating the script, Famuyiwa wanted his first film to be reminiscent of what he knew best which is his family and his friends. The Wood, which Famuyiwa wrote and directed, reflects select experiences he had with his close friends and family. The Wood is based loosely on the real-life experiences of Famuyiwa and his best friend Palo Alto firefighter Geoffrey Blackshire. Commenting on the film, Famuyiwa states, “It's not a complete autobiography of me. I mean, kind of a small portion of it is real and I just made that up bigger. It's definitely based on me and my best friend.

Brown Sugar (2002)
Famuyiwa once again employed a predominantly African American cast (some of the actors also played roles in The Wood) in Brown Sugar his lifelong friends Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan where the main cast in the movie. Brown Sugar was released on October 11, 2002. The film was marketed extensively by distributor Fox Searchlight Pictures and made $10 million in its opening weekend, ultimately grossing close to $28 million nationwide.

Others Include:

• Talk to Me (2007)
• Our Family Wedding (2010)
• Dope (2015)
• Confirmation (2016)
• The Flash (2018); In June 2016, it's been revealed that Famuyiwa is taking the helm as director for The Flash, after Seth Grahame-Smith dropped from the project.

AWARDS:

• In 2000, The Black Reel Awards nominated Famuyiwa for Best Director (Theatrical) for his work on The Wood. Later on that year, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) Image Awards nominated The Wood for Outstanding Motion Picture.
• In 2003, after completing work on Brown Sugar Famuyiwa was once again nominated by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) Image Awards for Outstanding Motion Picture.
• In 2008, while working on Our Family Wedding, Famuyiwa was recognized for his work on Kasi Lemmons’ Talk To Me by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) Image Awards. The Association nominated Talk To Me for Outstanding Motion Picture and Famuyiwa won for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television).