Latest in Melina Matsoukas

A new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative— released to coincide with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month—finds popular movies continue to marginalize Hispanics and Latinos. The investigation—co-authored by Ariana Case, Zoily Mercado, and Karla Hernandez —assessed leading and co-leading Hispanic and…

Apple TV+ has confirmed a series order for The Changeling, a drama based on Victor LaValle’s best-selling book of the same name, with LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Judas and The Black Messiah) set to star. Kelly Marcel (Cruella, Venom) wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner. Queen & Slim helmer and Insecure alum M…

Queen & Slim director Melina Matsoukas is partnering with Howard University and Instagram to help amplify and support the stories of aspiring Black storytellers through the newly launched Instagram x Share Black Stories “Future First” Reels Challenge. The program kicks off today as we enter the second week of Black His…

Melina Matsoukas brought on veteran producer Khaliah Neal as Head of Film & TV of her production banner De La Revolución Films, which recently secured a first-look feature deal with MGM. Prior to her new post, Neal was a film and tv executive at Michael B Jordan's Outlier Society where she helped spearhead scripted…

Director and producer Melina Matsoukas, through her production banner, De La Revolución Films, has signed a two-year first-look film production deal with MGM. The new deal reunites Matsoukas with MGM Film Group President Pamela Abdy, who worked with Matsoukas on her directorial debut Queen & Slim. Released in 2019, Que…

Claws star Niecy Nash served up some truth while accepting the Ford Vanguard Award at Essence’s 13th annual Black Women in Hollywood Awards luncheon. “My hope is to be of service in the world. So today I want to serve you with my truth,” said Nash, encouraging the crowd at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel to “think…

Bright and early Monday morning, John Cho and Issa Rae unveiled the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards and when it came to Best Director, we all waited with bated breath to see if the Academy would follow this unfortunate trend of women being shut out of the category. One by one, Rae announced the nominees: “The Iris…

Grammy-winning music video director Melina Matsoukas is known for using her work not only to highlight African -American culture but also reflect pertinent issues in the community. That’s what made Queen & Slim the apt project for her feature directorial debut. “The script for me was everything,” Matsoukas said at…

On the surface Melina Matsoukas’ feature debut, about a black couple on the run after a fatal traffic stop by a white police officer goes terribly awry, sounds like pretty explosive stuff ripped from the headlines. And yes, there is that, but this film has much more on its mind than leaning into just one event. That…

The Oscar show this year will be led by two women with strong producing credentials, sending us this message: There's a new generation of self-styled “badass” women filmmakers out there, ready to leave their mark on the film culture. The arrival of awards season, however, may carry a different portent: The possibility…

Melina Matsoukas is known for directing some of the most compelling and visually striking music videos including Rihanna’s “We Found Love” and Beyonce’s game-changing “Formation” — both earned her an MTV Video Music Award. This year, she made her foray into the feature space with Queen and Slim. Written by Emmy winner…

Queen & Slim director Melina Matsoukas has signed a first-look deal with FX Productions. Under the pact, Matsoukas, whose TV credits include Insecure and Master of None, will develop new content for FX Networks. Matsoukas recently directed the pilot episode of FX's Y, on which she also serves as an executive producer…