Stella Meghie

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). 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. She has also received nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

Early life

Meghie was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican immigrant parents. 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. In 2007, she quit her job to return to school and received a degree in screenwriting from the University of Westminster.

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. 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.

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.'' The film starred Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson and was a commercial success, grossing $61 million worldwide on a production budget of $10 million.

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

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. Starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, the film received generally favourable reviews and grossed $20 million.

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

Meghie also pitched to Walt Disney Pictures a live-action remake of their 2009 animated film ''The Princess and the Frog''. Though the pitch was not green-lighted for development, it did catch the attention of Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee, who contacted Meghie; the studio was producing an animated series based on the film for Disney+, and Meghie was hired as writer/director following a meeting with Lee. Meghie was announced to be directing the series, titled ''Tiana'', on November 12, 2021.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

See also

* List of University of Waterloo people

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meghie, Stella
Canadian women screenwriters
Canadian women film directors
Black Canadian writers
Black Canadian filmmakers
Black Canadian women
Living people
Film directors from Toronto
Writers from Toronto
Canadian Film Centre alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)