Gina Prince-Bythewood is a multifaceted creative force in the entertainment industry, boasting an impressive array of accomplishments in writing, producing, and directing. Her academic background at UCLA Film School is marked by a prestigious scholarship for directing and another for outstanding undergraduate work.
As a member of UCLA's track and field team, Prince-Bythewood demonstrated her athleticism, qualifying for the Pac-10 Championships in the triple jump. Upon graduation, she landed a writing job on the television series "A Different World," later moving on to work on various network shows, including "Felicity," "South Central," and "Sweet Justice."
Prince-Bythewood's transition to directing was marked by the critically acclaimed feature film "Love and Basketball," which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Her work on the film earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and a Humanitas Prize. She followed this success with the HBO film "Disappearing Acts."
In 2008, Prince-Bythewood wrote and directed the adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Secret Life of Bees," which won two People's Choice Awards and two NAACP Image Awards. Her subsequent feature, "Beyond the Lights," received an Oscar nomination for best song and landed on numerous top critics' Best of 2014 lists, including the NY Times, Washington Post, and Vulture.
Prince-Bythewood made history as the first Black woman to direct a superhero film, "The Old Guard," based on the celebrated graphic novel by Greg Rucka, for Skydance and Netflix. The film premiered on Netflix in 2020 to record ratings, ranking as the 6th most popular film of all-time on the platform.
Alongside her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood, Prince-Bythewood co-created and produced the ten-hour special event series "Shots Fired" for Fox, which premiered in 2017 and received praise from TIME magazine for its ambition.
Prince-Bythewood has also directed the pilot for the Marvel series "Cloak and Dagger" and the pilot for the ABC limited event series "Women of the Movement," based on the true story of Mamie and Emmett Till, which boasts a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Her latest feature film, "The Woman King," is a historical epic action drama featuring an ensemble cast including Oscar-winner Viola Davis, set for theatrical release in September 2022.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Prince-Bythewood is committed to giving back, funding a scholarship for African American students in UCLA's film program. She resides in Southern California with her husband and two sons, Cassius and Toussaint.
