Gina Prince-Bythewood Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

There is no shortage of epic stories found in history, born out of conflict and human resilience. This Oscar season has seen more than its fair share of historical epics, taking place all across the world.

Executive producers Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Rock Bythewood and co-showrunners Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon were at Deadline’s Contenders TV event Saturday to discuss the historical importance of showing Black stories onscreen in the latest season National Geographic’s anthology series Genius.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures’ adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi‘s novel Children of Blood and Bone is gaining momentum. Deadline is hearing The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood is coming on to helm. Prince-Bythewood will develop the next pass of a draft penned by Adeyemi.

Sophia Scorziello editor The 2023 Motion Picture Association Awards will honor director Gina Prince-Bythewood, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Mexico City Gov. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for their distinct impact on the film, television and streaming industry. The second annual MPA awards are set to take place in June at the MPA Headquarters in Washington. “The 2023 MPA Awards recognize three individuals whose valuable contributions have enabled our global industry to continue to flourish,” said Charles Rivkin, MPA chairman and CEO. “Each of this year’s honorees is working in their own way to ensure the success of the global creative economy, protect creators and build a more inclusive pipeline for storytellers. It is because of them, and many others, that the industry continues to deliver the films and TV shows loved by audiences everywhere.”

Director-writer Gina Prince-Bythewood, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Mexico City Governor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo will be the recipients of the Motion Picture Association’s MPA Awards.

Elizabeth Taylor On March 8, the eighth annual Icon Mann Honors paid tribute to “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who was lauded for her hallmark filmmaking and for inspiring culture by breaking new ground in cinema. Striving for a better future in the arts, she addressed the audience that gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. “I have always believed our greatness is reflected in our work and the ways that we show the world the incredible breadth of our humanity.” The driving force for her career was further described during her acceptance speech. “From the beginning, I tell stories of Black women and girls and reframe the narrative of who we are and what we can be. I want us to look up on the screen and see ourselves reflected in a way that inspires us and that we can aspire to be. And I’m proud of the Black men that I’ve centered in my work.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Newly minted EGOT Viola Davis was bestowed with the ASC Board of Governors Award at Sunday night’s American Society of Cinematographers ceremony. Speaking to a room filled with artisans, Davis told the audience, “If you want to know me, don’t ask me how I do my hair or where I live, ask me what I live for. On hand to present was “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who awards-hopped from the ACE Eddies. Davis was met with rapturous applause and said, “Sometimes you have to look at your life backward, and suddenly everything is in perspective.” In a nearly 10-minute speech, Davis talked about growing up in poverty and around domestic violence “and not seeing any way out.” She said, “What happens is you pray to be able to bust a hole through this wall with something. That’s what you imagine, ‘I gotta make a difference,’ but for me, I wanted to heal.”

Refresh for latest … The 73rd ACE Eddie Awards are being handed out today at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Westwood, and Deadline is posting the winners in all 14 categories as they are announced. Check the list below.

Angelique Jackson The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.” Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif. The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”

Viola Davis brightens up the room in a stunning yellow dress at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night (February 26) at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Viola Davis brightens up the room in a stunning yellow dress at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night (February 26) at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood learned the importance of speaking up early in her career.Her first job as a director came on CBS’ “Schoolbreak Special,” a job she landed by throwing her hat into the ring. “At that point I wanted to be a director but I was only able to get writing gigs,” Prince-Bythewood told TheWrap as part of our How She Did It series, presented by Johnnie Walker.“I remember sitting in the room and the producers were talking about directors.

Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood learned the importance of speaking up early in her career.Her first job as a director came on CBS’ “Schoolbreak Special,” a job she landed by throwing her hat into the ring. “At that point I wanted to be a director but I was only able to get writing gigs,” Prince-Bythewood told TheWrap as part of our How She Did It series, presented by Johnnie Walker.“I remember sitting in the room and the producers were talking about directors.

Unless you’re the lucky type of movie fan who can completely ignore awards season and just enjoy films without worrying about the behind-the-scenes drama that accompanies this time of year, you probably are well aware of the controversy surrounding the Best Actress nominees at this year’s Oscars. Andrea Riseborough earned a shocking nomination, while Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were snubbed.

American Cinemas Editors has cut together the nominees for its 73rd annual ACE Eddie Awards, which will be handed out next month. See the list for all 14 categories below.

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the winners of the 14th annual AAFCA Awards honoring the best in film. The Woman King, Till, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery each won two awards.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s goal for The Woman King was to create a sprawling epic based on a group of all-female warriors in Africa. She tasked cinematographer Polly Morgan with capturing the beauty of the landscape and leaning into the colors of the environment, which could be a challenge for scenes taking place at night. The Woman King tells the story of the all-female Agojie warriors in the African Kingdom of Dahomey. Filming in Africa presented a challenge for the production, but the location allowed Morgan to highlight the colors and tones of the period.

For director Gina Prince-Bythewood, making the historical epic The Woman King was a dream come true. Despite dealing with a seven-year-long development process, Prince-Bythewood was determined to prove that Hollywood stories centering on powerful Black women deserve to be seen. Based on a real all-female faction of West African soldiers known as the Agojie, the film follows its leader Nanisca (Viola Davis), and her fierce tribe of warriors as they defend the kingdom of Dahomey from a violent neighboring empire and Europeans capitalizing on the slave trade. Here, Prince-Bythewood talks about creating a sisterhood of warriors, world-building, and the importance of seeing yourself on screen.

The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has voted The Woman King Best Film of 2022, Danielle Deadwyler Best Actress for Till and Brendan Fraser for The Whale. For Best Director Gina Prince-Bythewood for The Woman King The announcement was made today by Mike Sargent, co-president, BFCC. Votes were cast and tabulated in New York City at the organization’s annual meeting on December 17, 2022.

The 32st annual Gotham Awards is underway, and Deadline is updating the winners list live from in-person event at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan.

American Cinema Editors has announced it will honor The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood with its ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 73rd annual ACE Eddie Awards, taking place within UCLA’s Royce Hall on March 5, 2023.

Clayton Davis Director Gina Prince-Bythewood knows you can’t win an argument on Twitter. That’s why she stays off social media platforms and chose not to engage with users that were attacking her, and the filmmakers from her box office hit “The Woman King” for taking license in its depiction of the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries, and its role in the slave trade. “There was an absolute assumption we weren’t dealing with it,” Prince-Bythewood says. “So much of the argument is based on bad facts. So, what the ‘Wikipedia historians’ are parroting is history written from the wrong point of view.” Listen below:

Viola Davis looks stunning in a black and white gown at the premiere of her new movie, The Woman King, held at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Monday (October 3) in London, England.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood will be feted at the 10th annual Middleburg Film Festival with the Agnès Varda Award, while “Triangle of Sadness” star Dolly De Leon will receive the festival’s Breakthrough Performance Award. “Empire of Light” actor Micheal Ward is being honored with the Spotlight Actor Award. The Sam Mendes film has also been named as the closing night film of the festival. 2019 Distinguished Composer Award recipient Terence Blanchard and his band, the E-Collective, will return to the festival and close out with a music performance.

The Woman King” star Thuso Mbedu isn’t ruling out a potential sequel for the Sony film, which premiered on Sept. 16. Though Mbedu said director Gina Prince-Bythewood has made it known she doesn’t “believe” in sequels, her co-star John Boyega had an idea that may be too good to pass up. “I texted Gina the other day about it,” Mbedu told Variety at the Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program cocktail celebration on Thursday night, for which she was serving as a juror. “Gina said she doesn’t believe in sequels, but John had a nice idea for the sequel… I told it to Gina and she was like, ‘Ah, actually that could work,’ and then started bouncing ideas and I’m like, ‘Gina, go to sleep!’ And she was like, ‘No my mind is ticking already.’ So, we don’t know. Only Sony will tell us.”

“Woman King.”The star and producer of the female war epic has responded to critics and the recent #BoycottWomanKing movement.Users across social media have been calling for fans to not buy a ticket to the film. They believe that the film is historically inaccurate and glorifies the role that the African kingdom — the Dahomey — had in the slave trade in the 19th century.The Oscar winner, 57, and her husband (as well as producing partner) Julius Tennon defended the flick to Variety in a recent interview.“I agree with [director] Gina Prince-Bythewood’s saying is you’re not going to win an argument on Twitter,” Davis said.

Jon Burlingame editor It took the combined talents of four Grammy winners, a symphony orchestra and a choir of African-American opera singers to make “The Woman King” resonate with the sounds of 19th-century West Africa. “This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime films,” says composer Terence Blanchard of director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s project, for which he wrote a powerful score – the likes of which haven’t been heard in a period African film since Quincy Jones’ “Roots” 45 years ago. “All of your experiences lead you to this moment, to work on something like this,” says the two-time Oscar nominee and five-time Grammy winner. “As soon as I saw it, I was floored. I looked at these characters as the founding DNA of all the strong African-American women I experienced growing up.”

Over the weekend, “The Woman King” easily won the box office battle. Better yet, the historical action film was a hit with fans who gave it an A+ CinemaScore.

first look at Halle Bailey in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” trailer. Critics don’t have an issue with Davis playing a strong Black leader in “The Woman King,” but are alarmed that the history of the Dahomey tribe, who sold other Africans into slavery, has been whitewashed. “Time to Boycott the Woman King movie.

Viola Davis is stepping out for a special screening of her new movie!

Viola Davis stuns in a bright pink dress at the premiere of her new movie, The Woman King, during the 2022 Toronto Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on Friday (September 9) in Toronto, Canada.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Costume designer Gersha Phillips drew upon African tradition while creating outfits for “The Woman King,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s movie about female warriors in the 1800s. The film starring Viola Davis will debut Sept. 9 at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival ahead of a Sept. 16 release by Sony’s TriStar. During her research, Phillips discovered that Agojie warriors in West Africa wore baggy pants during that time. Initially, she designed outfits in that style, but several iterations later, she incorporated wrap skirts — also seen in historical archives. Since the women were going to be moving a lot, Phillips says, “I had to consider functionality. Everybody had to fight, so we ended up using a stretch-knit fabric so they could do what they needed to do in it.”

GALA PRESENTATIONS 2022*Previously announcedAlice, Darling Mary Nighy | Canada, USAWorld PremiereBlack Ice Hubert Davis | CanadaWorld PremiereButcher’s Crossing Gabe Polsky | USAWorld PremiereThe Greatest Beer Run Ever Peter Farrelly | USAWorld PremiereThe Hummingbird Francesca Archibugi | Italy, FranceWorld PremiereHunt Lee Jung-jae | South KoreaNorth American PremiereA Jazzman’s Blues Tyler Perry | USAWorld PremiereKacchey Limbu Shubham Yogi | IndiaWorld PremiereMoving On Paul Weitz | USAWorld PremiereParis Memories Alice Winocour | FranceNorth American PremierePrisoner’s Daughter Catherine Hardwicke | USAWorld PremiereRaymond & Ray Rodrigo García | USAWorld PremiereRoost Amy Redford | USAWorld PremiereSidney Reginald Hudlin | USAWorld PremiereThe Son Florian Zeller | United KingdomNorth American PremiereOpening Night Film*The Swimmers Sally El Hosaini | United KingdomWorld PremiereWhat’s Love Got To Do With It? Shekhar Kapur | United KingdomWorld Premiere*The Woman King Gina Prince-Bythewood | USAWorld PremiereSPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2022*Previously announcedAllelujah Sir Richard Eyre | United KingdomWorld PremiereAll Quiet on the Western Front Edward Berger | USA, GermanyWorld PremiereThe Banshees Of Inisherin Martin McDonagh | United Kingdom, Ireland, USANorth American PremiereBlueback Robert Connolly | AustraliaWorld PremiereThe Blue Caftan Maryam Touzani | Morocco, France, Belgium, DenmarkNorth American PremiereBroker Hirokazu Kore-eda | South KoreaCanadian Premiere*Brother Clement Virgo | CanadaWorld Premiere*Bros Nicholas Stoller | USAWorld Premiere*Catherine Called Birdy Lena Dunham | United KingdomWorld PremiereCauseway Lila Neugebauer | USAWorld PremiereChevalier Stephen Williams | USAWorld PremiereCorsage Mari

Sure, we’re only halfway through summer, but it’s time to start looking ahead to the fall and film festival season. Specifically, we have to start thinking about the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) because it appears that we’re starting to see what a couple of the big premieres are going to be at this year’s event.

Star Wars, James Bond and The Suicide Squad actors have united for a new film, inspired by true events in Black history. The Woman King tells the story of an all-female unit of warriors called the Agojie, who were the protectors of the African Kingdom of Dahomey back in the 1800s. In the film, a new generation of warriors are led by General Nanisca as they train to fight against a force that want to destroy their very way of life itself: an invasion of Europeans looking to expand their territory overseas and colonise the world.

Last awards season’s Best Actress race was one of the most turbulent. Post-Golden Globes, Nicole Kidman, seemed a lock for her role in “Being the Ricardos,” despite the initial industry buzz for Kristen Stewart, the ever-lively Lady Gaga bandwagon, and some not totally unreasonable outside shouts for Olivia Colman, while Jessica Chastain ultimately took it all.