With a diverse filmography that so far includes such notable films as Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights, and The Old Guard, director Gina Prince-Bythewood has made her most critically acclaimed and audience-pleasing film yet with the strongly Oscar-buzzed The Woman King. It’s an epic story of the Agojie, the all-female group of warriors charged with protecting the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s. With Viola Davis leading the way, it landed today as one of the prestigious AFI Top 10 Movies of the Year.
For Prince-Bythewood, it was a tremendously challenging shoot, one that was shut down by Covid for four months but eventually continued filming, including those massive battles. She talks about all of it when she joins me for this week’s episode of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens. We also talk about why she did not return to direct the sequel to her hit Netflix action movie The Old Guard. Her answer might surprise you, but it is right in line with how she conducts her career — always looking for a different challenge.
To watch our conversation and go “behind the lens” with Gina Prince Bythewood just click on the link above.
Join me every Friday during Oscar season for another edition of Behind the Lens.
