Neema Barnette is a legend that is not known to many. In 1984 she directed an episode of What’s Happening Now, making her the first Black female director of a primetime sitcom. She’s an Emmy-award winning Director, Writer, and Producer touching some of America’s most beloved film and television series in her career. Barnette infuses her work with socially and politically-charged themes, making sure that her art is truly for her people. Blackfilm.com Aretha Neema Barnette
Most recently, Barnette directed episodes 2 and 3 of Genius: Aretha, making her the only Black woman to direct for the series. Previously, she has directed on the hit shows; Marvel’s Luke Cage, Netflix’ Raising Dion, BET Network’s Being Mary Jane, and OWN Network’s Queen Sugar. She has also worked on VH1’s The Breaks, Blind Spot for NBC, The Good Cop for Netflix, and Better Off Dead for Lifetime and the iconic feature film, Civil Brand.
Barnette has been awarded for outstanding directing and production by the American Black Film Festival, Women in Film, American Women in Film & Television, the NAACP and the Television Academy. A trailblazer in the industry for Black women, Barnette was the first Black woman to sign a three-film deal with a major studio when David Puttnam recruited her to Sony Pictures.
She now serves on the Director’s Guild of America’s African American Steering Committee and has been a member of The Black Filmmakers Foundation since its inception. She is executive producer of Black history mini docs, 90-second docs on black history for the digital age and serves on the AFI Independent Film Committee.
Genius: Aretha starts Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul, airing on National Geographic, March 21-24. To hear more about Neema and her experiences being Black and female in film, listen to our sit down with her below.
Blackfilm.com ‘Genius: Aretha’ Neema Barnette Blackfilm.com ‘Genius: Aretha’ Neema Barnette
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