Stella Meghie

Stella Meghie
Photograph of director Stella Meghie sitting at an event in 2020.
Meghie in 2020
Born
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Director, writer, producer
Years active2012–present
Known forJean of the Joneses, The Weekend, The Photograph

Stella Meghie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films Jean of the Joneses (2016), Everything, Everything (2017), The Weekend (2018), and The Photograph (2020).[1] Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including Grown-ish, Insecure, and First Wives Club.

For her debut feature, Meghie was nominated for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards.[2] She has also received nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards and NAACP Image Awards.[3][4]

Early life

Meghie was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican immigrant parents.[5] She pursued a degree in writing at the University of Waterloo, before beginning a career as a public relations agent in New York City's fashion industry.[6] In 2007, she quit her job to return to school and received a degree in screenwriting from the University of Westminster.[7]

Career

In 2016, Meghie made her feature film debut with the indie comedy-drama Jean of the Joneses which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival.[8] The film received a nomination for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards and two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017. Meghie was also nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category.[9]

After her first picture, Meghie began work on studio features. She directed the romance film Everything, Everything (2017), an adaptation of the New York Times best selling novel Everything, Everything.[10] The film starred Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson and was a commercial success, grossing $61 million worldwide on a production budget of $10 million.[11]

Marking her return to indie features, Meghie's film The Weekend premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.[12] The indie film was shot in just under two weeks from a script Meghie had written years prior.[13]

In 2020, Meghie directed her fourth feature film, The Photograph. The film was inspired by Meghie's own grandmother who reconnected with a daughter she had not seen in almost thirty years.[14] Starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, the film received generally favourable reviews and grossed $20 million.[15][16]

Meghie was slated to direct a Whitney Houston biopic for Sony Pictures titled Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody from a screenplay written by Anthony McCarten[17] and with Naomi Ackie set to star as Houston.[18] Kasi Lemmons ultimately took over directing duties though Meghie remained an executive producer.

Meghie is also set to executive-produce The Princess and the Frog spin-off series Tiana.[19] She was also originally hired as writer and director,[20] but was replaced in those capacities by Joyce Sherri by October 2023.[19]

On February 22, 2023, it was announced that Meghie would direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series Wonder Man, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[21]

Filmography

Feature films

Year Film Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer Other
2016 Jean of the Joneses Yes Yes Yes No
2017 Everything, Everything Yes No No No
2018 The Weekend Yes Yes Yes No
2020 The Photograph Yes Yes No No
2021 Encanto No No No Yes Creative leadership
2022 Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody No No Executive No

Television

Year Title Credited as Episode(s)
Director Producer
2018-2019 Grown-ish Yes No "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", "Fake Love"
2017 Insecure Yes No "Fresh-Like", "Lowkey Movin' On"
2018 First Wives Club Yes No "The Glow Up"
2025 Wonder Man Yes No Post-production
TBA Tiana No Executive

See also

References

  1. ^ "Canadian director Stella Meghie on how her indie film led her to Hollywood". CTV News, September 13, 2016.
  2. ^ Dry, Jude (2017-02-25). "Robert Eggers Wins Independent Spirit Best First Screenplay Award For 'The Witch'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  3. ^ "CBC Films - Jean of the Joneses". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  4. ^ "Ava DuVernay named Entertainer of the Year at the 49th NAACP Image Awards - The Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  5. ^ "‘Jean of the Joneses’ Director Stella Meghie Is One to Watch". Ebony, October 21, 2016.
  6. ^ Parris, Amanda (May 19, 2017). "In the 2010s, Stella Meghie proved that Canadian women of colour can take over Hollywood".
  7. ^ "Stella Meghie makes her directorial debut with Jean of the Joneses". Q, November 16, 2016.
  8. ^ Boykin, Eboni (March 11, 2016). "SXSW 2016 Women Directors: Meet Stella Meghie – 'Jean of the Joneses'". Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Canadian Screen Awards nominations are out!". Now, January 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Kit, Boris; Ford, Rebecca (July 20, 2016). "Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson to Star in 'Everything Everything' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  11. ^ "Everything, Everything". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  12. ^ ANDERSON, TRE'VELL. "Stella Meghie and Sasheer Zamata bring the black rom-com to Toronto with 'The Weekend'". Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  13. ^ Desta, Yohana. "The Weekend: Stella Meghie's Chamber Comedy Is Catnip for Autumn Enthusiasts". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  14. ^ SYDNEY SCOTT (December 6, 2020). "'The Photograph' Writer Reveals Film Is Based On Her Grandmother Who Had A Daughter She Hadn't Seen In 30 Years". Essence. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  15. ^ "The Photograph". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  16. ^ The Photograph (2020), retrieved 2021-02-23
  17. ^ "Sony Picks Up Whitney Houston Biopic 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  18. ^ "Whitney Houston Biopic Finds Its Star in Naomi Ackie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  19. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (2023-10-09). "'Tiana' Disney+ Animated Series Sets Joyce Sherri as Lead Writer, Director (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  20. ^ "#Tiana FIRST LOOK Concept Art: The new long-form musical series, directed and written by Stella Meghie (@stellamink), comes to #DisneyPlus in 2023. The series follows newly crowned Princess of Maldonia on a new adventure, but her New Orleans past isn't far behind 👑#DisneyPlusDay". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  21. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 22, 2023). "Stella Meghie To Direct Episodes Of Marvel Studios' 'Wonder Man' Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.