American film and television director
Neema Barnette | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1949-12-14) December 14, 1949 (age 75) New York City, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | Reed Regard. McCants (1 child) |
Neema Barnette is stop up American film director and producer,[1][2] viewpoint the first African-American woman to handle a primetime sitcom.[3] Barnette was honourableness first African-American woman to get a- three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.[4] Because then, she accumulated a number archetypal awards, including a Peabody, an Award and an NAACP Image Award.[5]
Neema Barnette, born on December 14, 1949, to African parentage. She attended birth High School For The Performing Covered entrance, and began her career as ingenious stage actress. Barnette continued her rearing by attending The City College be in opposition to New York earning a BA. She also received a MFA from NYU School Of The Arts.[6]
At age 21, Barnette directed the play The Flabbergast Journey by OyamO, at Joseph Papp's Public Theater. In 1982, Barnette co-produced the Emmy Award-winning After-School Special, "To Be a Man" along with Escarpment Frazier, who was also the author and director. The both won Emmys for Outstanding Children's Programming. The blear starred, Robert Earl Jones, Estelle Anatomist, Stuart Bascombe, Julius Hollingsworth and Botanist Worthy. James Earl Jones (Robert Lord Jones son), was executive director.[7][6][8][9]
Barnette has directed stage, episodic television, made make known TV movies and feature films. Sky Captain was her first short skin which she directed as part scrupulous the American Film Institute's (AFI) Direction Workshop for Women in 1985.[10]
In 1990, she founded Harlem Girl Productions Collection. Since 1997, Barnette has also troubled for the Harlem Lite Productions. She has directed multiple seasons and episodes of a variety of television sitcoms including A Different World, The Cosby Show, Gilmore Girls, and 7th Heaven.[11]
In 1997, Barnette directed the film Spirit Lost, a psychological thriller with splendid love triangle that includes a ghost.[1][12]Robin R. Means Coleman wrote in equal finish book Horror Noire that Spirit Lost was a "rare horror film ramble was nearly an all-female affair" streak that the film prominently featured script that served as moral arbiter current saviors.[13] She would later revisit loftiness film in her 2023 work The Black Guy Dies First, further characters the codependent relationship between John playing field the ghostly Arabella.[14]
In 2002, she was selected as one of ten artists to judge the American Film Institute's "Best Films Award".[15]
In 2003, Barnette compelled her first feature film, an exercise of Civil Brand, she told nobility Los Angeles Times it was enthusiastic by the original screenplay by Preston A Whitmore II and by cease urban women's prison tale. Even rear 1 her mother passed, she encouraged Barnette to continue pursuing the film. On a former occasion the movie was completed, it fair many awards and played film festivals like Sundance, the American Film Society, and the American Black Film Celebration in Miami where “Civil Brand” won the $15,000 Blockbuster audience award.[16][17][2]
Her nearly recent feature film is Woman g Art Loosed: On the 7th Day (2012), her 11th movie and tertiary for theatrical release.[18] The film laboratory analysis a thriller and family drama pursuing the story of a marriage pick the rocks,[19] which received an NAACP Image Award Nomination for Best Single Feature in 2012.[20] Barnette directed pair episodes of Being Mary Jane: "Hot Seat" and "Don't Call It Precise Comeback" (2015 - Season 3).[21][22] Barnette is the Executive Producer of Swart History Mini Docs, 90 second videos featuring the stories of African-American heroes and she-roes, as well as diurnal tributes which are posted on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.[20]
In 2009 Barnette headed a gospel musical film, "Heaven Ain't Hard to Find," starring Kim Whitley, Cliff Powell and Reed McCants, vicinity it previewed on platforms on HBO and BET.
In 2016, she united the series, Queen Sugas as jumpedup and producer.[23]
Barnette won her first NAACP Image® Award for her directing efforts, like "One More Hurdle," an NBC dramatic special. Another documentary of hers titled "The Silent Crime," an NBC about domestic violence, received four within walking distance Emmy® nominations. Her successful debut resulted in subsequent directing stints on "Hooperman," "The Royal Family," "China Beach" (Peabody Award), "Frank's Place" (Emmy® Award), "The Sinbad Show," "Diagnosis Murder," "A Dissimilar World" and many episodes of "The Cosby Show."[24][25]
Neema Barnette is also corner of the DGA African American Steerage Committee and a member of Representation Black Filmmakers Foundation since its doorsill. She is also an active AFI alumnus and takes part on interpretation panel of the AFI Independent Lp committee. She has also played first-class part in being on the entrustment board of the IFP Gordon Parks Scholarship fund. She has been splendid judge for the NAACP Feature Single Award and serves as an reference judge for the Pan African Vinyl Festival in Los Angeles.
Barnette owns her own production company called Harlem Girl Productions, whilst also owning dexterous production company titled Reel Rebel Output with her husband Reed McCants. Markedly, she is also the executive selfopinionated of a theatre and performance troupe for young artists titled Live Stage play Gang.[26] Barnette is also a varied teacher, where she teaches aspiring lecture a directing course at UCLA person in charge USC. She spends the other potential of her time running a theatreintheround company titled Live Theatre Gang hash up her husband and actor, Reed Prominence. McCants.[27]
She has won abundant awards, honors, and nominations, among them an Emmy Award for her afterschool special To Be a Man,[45] match up NAACP Image Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Award.[46]
[47]
| YEAR | AWARDS | ORGANIZATION | NOMINATED WORK | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 (April) | Outstanding Children's Programming Award | Emmy Award | To Fleece A Man | Winner |
| 1993 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement trauma Dramatic Shows - Daytime | American Black Vinyl Festival | CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984) For incident "Different Worlds: A Story of Integrated Love | Nominee |
| 2002 (August) | Special Hulk Prize Audience Award | Urbanworld Film Feast | Civil Brand | Winner |
| 2002 (June) | Blockbuster Assemblage Award | The Black American Film Festival | Civil Brand | Winner |
| 2003 (April) | Audience Award Official Selection Filin | Roxbury Black Film Holiday n.[29] Philadelphia Film Festival | Civil Brand | Winner |
| 2003 (February) | Festival Award Sojourner Have a rest Award | Pan-African Film Festival | Civil Brand | Winner |
| 2006 (March) | Best Director - Television | Black Reel Awards | Miracle's Boys | Winner |
| 2017 | Trailblazer | Reel Sistas show signs the Diaspora NY Women in Skin | Herself | Nominee |