More WE RECOGNIZE HER…
Nia DaCosta continues to make a name for herself in the world of film.
The Brooklyn-born, Harlem raised director has made history by becoming the first and only black woman to direct a Marvel film. DaCosta is set to direct “Captain Marvel 2” joining the list of directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who directed the first “Captain Marvel” movie. The movie is slated to premiere in 2022.
DaCosta has other major films that she directed in the past. The first one being her own project Little Woods in 2018, starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James. In an interview, DaCosta opened up about her journey on making this film.
She said, “Something we are taught in film school is to write what you know, and I used to take that literally. But I soon realized that what it meant to me was to write what I knew emotionally because that’s how you connect with people who are completely unlike you and have different lived experiences.”
The concept of the film was inspired by the issues that women were facing caused by the Affordable Care Act in 2014. “I was really struck by what felt like a total lack of any real connection being made to people’s actual lives,” she said. “And so I wanted to tell a story about that, but from the perspective of women who lived in rural America, particularly those who are living in poverty.”
In 2015, the film was picked for the Sundance Screenwriters and Labs, which she paid for the short-film version before becoming a feature film through Kickstarter.
DaCosta would go on to direct Jordan Peele’s sequel to Candyman which premiered in 2021. This is only the beginning for DeCosta and we spotlight her in honor of Women’s History Month, WBLS is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the often-overlooked women who make contributions to our communities, our culture, society, and who are making history, today!