Channing Godfrey Peoples
Channing Godfrey Peoples is an American writer, director, and producer. Her feature film directorial debut Miss Juneteenth received critical acclaim.[1][2]
Channing Godfrey Peoples | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Baylor University (BA) University of Southern California (MFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, director, producer |
| Years active | 2013 ― present |
| Notable work | Miss Juneteenth |
| Spouse | Neil Creque Williams |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education edit
Peoples was raised on the south side of Fort Worth in what she referred to as "Black Texas".[3][4][5] Her family regularly attended Black theatre performances, which influenced Peoples to read classic Black literature by writers such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor.[6]
She received her bachelor's degree in theater from Baylor University and her master of fine arts degree from University of Southern California.[4][6]
Career edit
Miss Juneteenth edit
Peoples began writing Miss Juneteenth in 2013, shortly after completing film school.[7] She was inspired to write the film because she grew up attending Juneteenth celebrations and Miss Juneteenth pageants and the holiday holds great significance for her.[3] She attended the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and other writing workshops to continue to develop the screenplay.[1] When the film was in pre-production, Peoples was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2018.[2] Miss Juneteenth, also Peoples' directorial debut, premiered at Sundance 2020 and was released VOD on Juneteenth of that year.[3][8] The film received critical acclaim and holds a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9]
She cites Julie Dash, Jonathan Demme, and her mentor Charles Burnett as influences.[7]
Other work edit
Peoples wrote two episodes of the third season of Queen Sugar.[6][10]
In January 2021 it was announced that Peoples signed a first look deal with Universal Content Productions.[11] Her first scheduled project is to create a television adaptation of Miss Juneteenth.[11]
Peoples' wrote and directed the short film Doretha's Blues, which debuted at SXSW in 2021.[12] The movie stars Tonea Stewart and follows "a former musician whose son was killed by police and who can no longer find it in her to sing."[13] She was inspired to write Doretha's Blues in the aftermath of Michael Brown's death, as she was interested in the lives of the family left behind.[12] Like Miss Juneteenth, the film is set in Fort Worth, Texas.[14]
Personal life edit
Peoples is married to producer Neil Creque Williams, whom she met in her graduate program at USC.[3] They have one daughter (b. 2018).[3]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Writer | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Miss Juneteenth[12] | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 | Doretha's Blues[12] | Yes | Yes | No |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award | Miss Juneteenth | Nominated | [15] |
| 2020 | SXSW | Louis Black Lone Star Award | Won | [16] | |
| 2020 | BlackStar Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | Won | [17] | |
| 2020 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Woman Director | Nominated | [18] | |
| 2020 | National Board of Review | Best Directorial Debut | Won | [19] | |
| 2020 | Satellite Awards | Best First Feature | Won | [20] | |
| 2020 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Feature | Nominated | [21] | |
| Best First Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2021 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Independent Feature | Nominated | [22] | |
| Outstanding Director | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Emerging Director | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding First Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Austin Film Festival | New Voice Award | Won | [23] |
References edit
- ^ a b Tauer, Kristen (2020-06-19). "Channing Godfrey Peoples Makes Directorial Debut With 'Miss Juneteenth'". WWD. from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ a b Christian, Daniel (13 September 2018). "Channing Godfrey Peoples". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ a b c d e Jackson, Angelique (19 June 2020). "How Channing Godfrey Peoples' Directorial Debut 'Miss Juneteenth' Explores the Meaning of Freedom". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ a b Searles, Jourdain (2020-09-23). ""This is a story about people trying to get their freedom": Channing Godfrey Peoples on her debut feature Miss Juneteenth". BFI. from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Murray, Cori (2020-06-19). "'Miss Juneteenth' Director Channing Godfrey Peoples' Celebrates The Beauty Of Black Texas". Essence. from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ a b c McCormack, Colin (2020-06-16). "Filmmaker Interview: CHANNING GODFREY PEOPLES". SAGindie. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ a b Graham, Rogan. "Channing Godfrey Peoples: 'I've always been fascinated with lineage'". Little White Lies. from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Valentini, Valentina (2020-06-17). "With 'Miss Juneteenth,' Channing Godfrey Peoples Hopes to Show a Way Forward". Shondaland. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ "Miss Juneteenth". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ Sollosl, Mary (2020-06-19). "'Miss Juneteenth' director on honoring history and celebrating phenomenal Black womanhood". EW.com. from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (11 January 2021). "'Miss Juneteenth' Writer-Director Channing Godfrey Peoples Inks First-Look Deal With UCP". Deadline. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d "On Texas Time: Filmmaker Channing Godfrey Peoples". Texas Monthly. 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "Two short films from North Texas land on 2021 SXSW lineup". Dallas News. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ Richardson, Robin (2021-07-25). "DFW Filmmakers Debut Short at SXSW". spectrumlocalnews.com. from the original on 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "'Nomadland' takes top honors at 2021 Gotham Awards: See the full list of winners". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (2020-04-14). "Sundance Pic 'Miss Juneteenth' To Hit Screens In June With Vertical Entertainment Deal". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ "BlackStar Film Festival Names 'Miss Juneteenth' Best Narrative Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (2021-01-04). "'Nomadland' Triumphs at Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (2021-01-26). "National Board of Review Names 'Da 5 Bloods' Best Picture, Spike Lee Becomes Second Black Director Winner". Variety. from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- ^ "2020 Nominees". Press Academy. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Warren, Matt (2021-01-26). "2021 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced!". Film Independent. from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
- ^ . The Black Reel Awards. 2021-02-18. Archived from the original on 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CENTERPIECE AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS". Austin Film Festival. 2021-10-06. from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
External links edit
- Official Instagram
- Channing Godfrey Peoples at IMDb