Amma Asante
Amma Asante | |
---|---|
Born | Lambeth, London, England | 13 September 1969
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1986–present |
Notable work | A Way of Life (2004); Belle (2013); A United Kingdom (2016) |
Spouse |
Søren Pedersen (m. 2007) |
Website | www |
Amma Asante MBE (born 13 September 1969) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, former actress, and Chancellor at Norwich University of the Arts,[1] who was born in London, England, to parents from Ghana. Her love for the film industry started when she received her first role in BBC's children's television drama series Grange Hill.[2] Asante wrote and produced the 1998 BBC Two television series Brothers and Sisters, starring David Oyelowo.[2] She was a childhood friend of model Naomi Campbell, whom she met when they were seven years old.[3]
Early and personal life
Amma Asante was born in Lambeth, London,[4] to Ghanaian parents: her mother was an entrepreneur who owned her own African cosmetics and grocery shop,[2] and her accountant father received qualifications to work in the United Kingdom.[5] Asante attended the Barbara Speake Stage School in Acton, where she trained in dance and drama.[6] She appeared in the "Just Say No" anti-drugs campaign of the 1980s and was one of nine Grange Hill children to take it to the Reagan White House.[7] She gained credits in other British television series, including Desmond's (Channel 4) and Birds of a Feather (BBC 1), and was a Children's Channel presenter for a year.
Asante was previously married to producer Charlie Hanson. She is now married to Søren Pedersen, former spokesman for European police in The Hague.[8][9]
Writing and directing career
Asante's career started when she first attended a performing arts school that allowed her to draft her first sitcom script.[2] Later, she became a child actress and made her first appearances on television in Grange Hill and Desmond's.[10] In her late teens, Asante left acting and worked in screenwriting with a development deal from Chrysalis. She founded a production company, Tantrum Films, where she wrote and produced two series of the BBC Two drama Brothers and Sisters (1998).
A Way of Life
Asante used Tantrum Films to make her directorial debut with a feature film,
In November 2004, the
Belle
Asante has developed film projects in both the UK and US. Her second feature film,
The film stars
A United Kingdom
In January 2014, it was announced that Asante would direct a thriller,
Recent projects
Asante is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[33]
Asante directed "Useful", episode 3 in series 3 of Hulu streaming service's series The Handmaid's Tale. The series is based on Canadian writer Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name. The episode first screened on 5 June 2019.[34] In the 2020 and 2021 Powerlist, Asante was listed in the Top 100 of the most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent.[35][36]
Asante is set to direct a film adaptation of the book The Billion Dollar Spy, starring Mads Mikkelsen.[37]
Awards
Asante was appointed
In 2018, Asante became the first woman to receive the
Professional associations and interests
Asante is a past elected member of
She travelled to Washington, DC, for an anti-drugs campaign, and then met with former First Lady Nancy Reagan.[2]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2004 | A Way of Life | Director and screenwriter |
2013 | Belle | Director |
2016 | A United Kingdom | Director |
2018 | Where Hands Touch | Director and screenwriter |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | The Handmaid's Tale | Director | 2 episodes[41] |
2020 | Mrs. America | Director | 2 episodes[42] |
References
- ^ "BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and director Amma Asante MBE to become new Chancellor". Norwich University of the Arts. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Jacobs, Emma (10 November 2016). "Film-maker Amma Asante on race, Brexit and meeting Prince". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ @AmmaAsante (18 November 2017). "My school-friend @NaomiCampbell has been showing us the possibilities for decades, challenging glass ceilings and raising the bar. Thank you for the example Naomi 🖤🖤🖤" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 November 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Fox, Laura, and Sean Doherty (25 February 2017), "Lambeth-born film director Amma Asante casts her vote for Oscar winners in move to increase diversity", SW Londoner.
- ^ Saner, Emine (9 February 2005), "'Mum and dad never showed fear'", Evening Standard.
- ^ a b Greer, Bonnie (8 November 2004). "From Grange Hill to the valleys". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- Birmingham Evening Mail. 4 February 2005. Archived from the originalon 2 November 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Kellaway, Kate (18 May 2014). "Amma Asante: 'I'm bi-cultural, I walk the division that Belle walked every day'". The Observer.
- ^ "Søren Kragh Pedersen". Kommunikationsforum. 9 August 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-137-48991-3.
- ^ "South Bank Show Breakthrough Star". The Times. 17 January 2005. pp. 2–3.
- ^ BFI London Film Festival#2005
- ^ "Race film joy for debut director". BBC. 13 February 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- BAFTA Guru. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ "The Winners of the 2005 Miami Film Festival Competition are....... : Miami IMC". Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Sutter, Mary (14 February 2005). "Way of Life Takes Miami Honors: Asante's Pic Earns Top Accolades at Festival". Variety. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ "Miami International Film Festival – 2005 Winners". miamifilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Baftas A Way of Life for ITV Wales – Wales Online". walesonline.co.uk. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Ifans clinches Bafta 'Grand Slam'". BBC News. 24 April 2005.
- ^ S2CID 150040286.
- ^ "Toronto 2013: Starred Up, Belle, The Invisible Woman, Dom Hemingway, The Double | The Empire Blog". empireonline.com. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ THR Staff (11 September 2013). "'Belle' Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the Only British Actor Who's Never Done a Period Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ Redcarpetdiaries (9 September 2013). "The New Film Belle by Director Amma Asante Now Running at TIFF 2013". Dailymotion. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ^ Alexander, Bryan (21 July 2013). "'Belle' breaks through the aristocratic color barrier". USA Today.
- ^ Cook, Cameron (10 April 2014). "We screened BELLE at the UN and this is what happened | Blog | Fox Searchlight". foxsearchlight.com. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (11 March 2014). "BAFTA to Give Brit Filmmaker Amma Asante U.S. Showcase". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Signis". signis.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Dave, McNary (9 January 2014). "Warner Bros. Rings 'Belle' Director for New Thriller". Variety.
- ^ Kit, Borys (26 May 2015). "'Belle' Filmmaker to Direct David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike in 'A United Kingdom' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d Winfrey, Graham (17 February 2017). "'A United Kingdom': Why David Oyelowo's Passion Project Is Competing for Audiences With Oscar Contenders". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Benn, Melissa (19 August 2006). "The bride wore black". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Korsner, Jason (21 June 2016). "A United Kingdom To Open London Film Festival 2016". What's Worth Seeing…. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ Hubbard, Ladee (10 May 2019), "Power to define yourself: The diaspora of female black voices", TLS.
- ^ "The Handmaid's Tale (2017– ) | Useful", IMDb.
- ^ Mills, Kelly-Ann (25 October 2019). "Raheem Sterling joins Meghan and Stormzy in top 100 most influential black Brits". mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020). "Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021". mirror. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (29 October 2020). "Mads Mikkelsen, Armie Hammer Join Amma Asante's Cold War Thriller 'Billion Dollar Spy'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B15.
- ^ "Amma Asante receives the BUFF Honorary Award - The British Urban Film Festival Awards: 2018" (via YouTube), 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Honorary Associates | London Film School". lfs.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Tutt, Louise (6 December 2018). "Amma Asante, Deniz Gamze Erguven join directors of 'The Handmaid's Tale' season three (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (12 September 2019). "Amma Asante Directing Episodes of FX's 'Mrs. America' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
Further reading
- Jenelle Riley, "Toronto Film Fest: Filmmaker Amma Asante on 'Belle'" (interview), Backstage, 10 September 2013.
- Video: "Amma Asante, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Tom Felton, Penelope Wilton, Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson discuss the film at the Toronto International Film Festival 2013", The Hollywood Reporter video.
External links
- Official website
- Amma Asante at IMDb