Nikyatu Jusu’s “Suicide by Sunlight” took home the top prize at this year’s Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. Jury members Rachel Weisz (the upcoming “Disobedience”), director Mira Nair (“Queen of Katwe”), and producer Paula Weinstein awarded “Suicide by Sunlight” full production funding as well as support from Tribeca Studios at a cocktail reception last Thursday. Jusu co-wrote the short with R. Shanea Williams.
“Suicide by Sunlight” follows Valentina, a black vampire who is able to go out during the day due to her melanin.
“We are so thankful that Tribeca and CHANEL are supporting urgent and much needed voices,” Jusu and Williams stated. “We are excited to explore the intersectionality of social issues and genre through the lens of black vampires daywalking in NYC.”
Thursday’s reception concluded the intensive, three-day Through Her Lens workshop, which offered project support, one-on-one mentorship, peer-to-peer sessions, and master classes to its participants. “A United Kingdom” director Amma Asante and “Twilight” actor Dakota Fanning were among the master class advisors. Mentors included writer-executive producer Ilene Chaiken (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and producer Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People”).
“At Tribeca we are always looking for ways to empower and support women in our industry. It’s not enough to talk about what needs to be done. We need to actually do it,” said jury member Weinstein, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises. “We have had an inspiring three days with these remarkable women working to hone their projects and pitches. We congratulate director/writer Nikyatu Jusu and her co-writer R. Shanea Williams and thank all the filmmakers and women in the industry who came together.”
The other films selected for the program — Marianne Amelinckx’s “Vuela,” Nicole Emanuele’s “Wingmen,” Myna Joseph’s “No Fault,” and Anna Zlokovic’s “Girl Wants Magic” — each received a development grant at the reception. Overall, $100,000 in grants was awarded amongst the five Through Her Lens films.
“The caliber of all five scripts was hugely impressive as was each presentation. We feel certain that each will be made as the confidence and vision of the filmmakers was apparent and inspiring. We look forward to this full female creative assault to come on the industry,” commented Nair and Weisz. “We selected a project that turned a familiar genre on its head in a unique way, filling it with emotion, drama, and mystery.”
Check out Jusu and Williams’ bios below, courtesy of Through Her Lens.
Nikyatu Jusu is an award-winning Sierra Leonean-American filmmaker. Her screenplay Free the Town participated in the Sundance Institute’s inaugural Diverse Writers Workshop and was selected for both the 2013 Durban Film Mart and Film Independent’s Fast Track. Her short film, Flowers, won the HBO short film award and is her third film acquired by HBO.
Filmmaker R. Shanea Williams attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Dramatic Writing Program and earned her MFA in 2008. Upon graduation, she was honored with the Venable Herndon Graduate Screenwriting Award for Excellence. Partnering with producer Anthony Davis, she wrote and directed two award-winning short films, Contamination (2013) and Paralysis (2015).
