Nikyatu Jusu (/nɪkˈjɑːtuː ˈdʒuːsuː/)[1] is an American independent writer, director, and assistant professor in film and video at George Mason University. Jusu's works center on the complexities of Black female characters and in particular, displaced, immigrant women in the United States. Her work includes African Booty Scratcher (2008), Flowers (2015), Suicide By Sunlight (2019), and Nanny, which received the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.[2]
Jusu was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sierra Leonean parents Hannah Khoury and Ronald Jusu.[3] She attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina with the intention to become a biomedical engineer. An unexpected meeting with a screenwriting professor introduced her to the world of film making and she changed her focus. Jusu graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film/Cinema/Video Studies in 2005.[4] She later studied narrative filmmaking at New York University's Tisch graduate film school and received a master of fine arts degree in Film/Cinema/Video Studies in 2011.[5]
In 2008, Jusu wrote and directed African Booty Scratcher for her second year graduate film project at NYU Tisch. It is a semi-autobiographical film that tells the story of Isatu, a young Sierra Leonean American.[2] The story highlights the conflict of differing cultures while Isatu contemplates which culture to please when picking a prom dress. She developed the film with a budget of $7,000.[6][better source needed] African Booty Scratcher was eventually acquired by HBO.[7]
Jusu released Say Grace Before Drowning in 2010, again as writer and director.[7] With a bigger budget of $35,000, Jusu created a film that explains the relationship between a young girl and her African refugee mother.[7] This film was also acquired by HBO.[7]
In 2011, she wrote and directed the narrative film, Black Swan Theory, that was labeled as an experimental work.[8] The plot of the film revolves around Sonya, a psychiatric casualty of war, who accepts a murder-for-hire assignment. Jusu's developed the film on a budget of $3,000.[8]
Jusu began developing a feature film, FREE THE TOWN in 2013.[better source needed][9] The film follows three people in Freetown, Sierra Leone and was selected for inclusion in Sundance Institute's inaugural Diverse Writers Workshop.[citation needed]
She co-wrote and co-directed Flowers in 2015 with Yvonne Michelle Shirley, a classmate from film school.[10] The coming of age film tells the story of two Brooklyn teens looking to get revenge on their teacher until their plan backfires. Jusu explained that she wanted to draw attention to the struggles of black girls in school because she feels that only black boys are in the spotlight of struggle in the United States education system.[10] Flowers was shown at film festivals such as BlackStar Film Festival. It was acquired by HBO and received the HBO Short Film Award.[11]
In 2017, Jusu joined the faculty of George Mason University as an assistant professor in the film and video studies department.[12] That year she was selected as a recipient of Tribeca Film Institute and Chanel's Through Her Lens program to develop the short film Suicide by Sunlight, co-written with R. Shanea Williams.[13] Suicide by Sunlight centers a Black vampire protected from the sun because of her melanin.[14] The film was executive produced by Terence Nance, directed by Jusu, and stars Natalie Paul.[15] It debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019.[16]
On April 13, 2021, it was announced that Jusu's debut feature film, Nanny, is being produced by Stay Gold Features and Topic Studios.[17] The horror film follows a west African undocumented nanny taking care of a privileged child on the Upper West Side and preparing for the arrival of her son.[17] The script was selected for the 2020 Black List and the film debuted at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022.[18] Shortly after Nanny won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, Blumhouse Productions and Amazon Studios acquired the film and is set to be released theatrically on November 23, 2022 and then streaming on Amazon Prime Video on December 16, 2022. In February 2022, it was announced that Jusu's next horror film project was acquired by Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures.[18] In October 2022, it was announced that Jusu signed on to direct a sequel to Night of the Living Dead (1968).[19]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | African Booty Scratcher | Yes | Yes | No |
|
| 2010 | Say Grace Before Drowning | Yes | Yes | No |
|
| 2011 | Black Swan Theory | Yes | Yes | No |
|
| 2015 | Flowers | Partial | Partial | No | Short film |
| 2017 | Two Sentence Horror Stories | Yes | No | No | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Suicide by Sunlight | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2022 | Nanny | Yes | Yes | No | Executive producer; feature film debut |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | American Black Film Festival | Short Film Award[24] | Flowers | Won |
| 2020 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Independent Short Film[25] | Suicide by Sunlight | Nominated |
| 2019 | Sundance Film Festival | Short Film Grand Jury Prize[26] | Suicide by Sunlight | Nominated |
| 2022 | U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize[18] | Nanny | Won |
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