Rick Famuyiwa is an emerging Nigerian American Hollywood writer and director

In 2000, The Black Reel Awards nominated Famuyiwa for Best Director (Theatrical) for his work on The Wood. Additionally, Famuyiwa’s first feature film was nominated for Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted). Later on that year, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards nominated The Wood for Outstanding Motion Picture.

In 2003, after completing work on Brown Sugar, perhaps Famuyiwa’s most famous work, Famuyiwa was once again nominated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards for Outstanding Motion Picture.

In 2008, while working on Our Family Wedding, Famuyiwa was recognized for his work on Kasi Lemmons’ Talk To Me by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards. The Association nominated Talk To Me for Outstanding Motion Picture and in a pleasant surprise, Famuyiwa won for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television).

Rick Famuyiwa, born on June 18, 1973,  an emerging Nigerian American Hollywood writer and director of films such as The Wood (1999),Talk To Me (2007), and Brown Sugar (2002).^[1] His most recent film is the comedy Our Family Wedding (2010), starring Forest Whitaker andAmerica Ferrera. Famuyiwa’s films mainly explore themes of racial diversity and acceptance of oneself and others, especially within communities of color. In the majority of Famuyiwa’s films, friendship plays a central role to the characters’ development and progression throughout the film. Additionally, thus far, nearly all of Famuyiwa’s feature films have dealt with the institution of marriage in one form or another. It is helpful to note also that Rick Famuyiwa’s upbringing in the racially eclectic Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood has had a tremendous impact on his cinematic works and point of view as both an individual and artist.

Famuyiwa is a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) and has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Cinematic Arts Film & Television Production and Cinematic Arts Critical Studies, both granted by the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences in conjunction with the School of Cinematic Arts. Rick Famuyiwa is part of the Director’s Guild of America and it is his passion to make African Americans a greater, more respected part of the cinema industry.

Background

Rick Famuyiwa grew up in the southwestern Los Angeles, California suburb of Inglewood. Son of Nigerian immigrants, Famuyiwa is a first-generation Nigerian American. Reflecting on his time growing up in Inglewood, Famuyiwa recounts, “The thing you gotta understand about L.A. is that everything is suburbia. Los Angeles isn't set up like San Francisco or New York. People come to L.A. and they expect to see a ghetto like the projects, but that's not the way it's set up. Inglewood, in particular, is the furthest thing from a ghetto. It's a middle-class community, but it's gotten a bad rap over the years...because of Grand Canyon and Pulp Fiction and other films.” Influenced by his upbringing in a heavily African American and Latino community, Famuyiwa’s films explore key themes of racial diversity and acceptance of oneself and others. Famuyiwa continues about his hometown, “I would be lying if I said there isn't a negative element in the city, but I would say it's no different than any other city. You come across gangs and you come across negative things -- but it's like everywhere else, if that's what you gravitate toward and that's what you want to do, you're gonna find trouble no matter what you do. But we were never into that. My group of friends were never into that.”Ultimately, Famuyiwa’s upbringing in the racially eclectic Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood would have tremendous impact on his later cinematic works and point of view as both an individual and artist.

After high school, Famuyiwa attended the University of Southern California (USC) and double majored in Cinematic Arts Film & Television Production and Cinematic Arts Critical Studies. During his time at the University, Famuyiwa worked intimately with film professor Todd Boyd, who would later help write and produce his first feature film. In 1996, prior to graduation, Famuyiwa created a 12-minute short film entitled Blacktop Lingo that garnered critical positive feedback and led to his invitation to the Sundance Filmmaker’s Institute. In 1997, during his time at the Sundance Director’s Lab, Famuyiwa perfected his craft and put the finishing touches on The Wood, what would later be his first feature film. In 1999, Famuyiwa married his wife Glenita Mosley whom he met at the University of California, Los Angeles..