Julius Onah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 10, 1983 Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | opencontinents |
Julius Onah (born February 10, 1983) is a Nigerian-American film director, screenwriter and producer.[1] He has directed the films The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), Luce (2019), and the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Early life
Onah was born in Makurdi, Benue State in Nigeria. His father Adoga Onah, was a Nigerian diplomat. He was raised in the Philippines, Nigeria, Togo and the United Kingdom before moving to Arlington County, Virginia. Onah graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA and received his B.A. in theater from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He completed an M.F.A. from the graduate film program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he was selected as a Dean's Fellow.[1] He is also a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship.[2]
His twin brother, Anthony Onah, is also a director, with his first feature film The Price released in 2017.[3]
Career
Onah's work has screened at festivals around the world including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, London, Dubai, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Camerimage. In the summer of 2010, he was selected as one of Filmmaker magazine's New Faces of Independent Film. In 2013, he was selected as one of Studio System's 10 Up and Up Feature Directors and Forbes Magazine's 13 African Celebrities To Watch. While at NYU's graduate film program he completed his first feature as his thesis, The Girl Is in Trouble (2015) with executive producer Spike Lee, featuring Alicja Bachleda, Wilmer Valderrama, Columbus Short, and Jesse Spencer. Onah was previously set to direct thriller film adaptation Brilliance for Legendary Pictures which David Koepp scripted with Will Smith and Noomi Rapace to star as leads.[4][5] He then directed The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)[6] with producer J. J. Abrams. His latest film, Luce featuring Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr., premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.[7] He is set to direct thriller film Bad Genius, a remake of the 2017 Thai film of the same name.[8] He is also set to direct Captain America: Brave New World, the fourth Captain America movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Anthony Mackie starring in the title role.[9]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Girl Is in Trouble | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 | The Cloverfield Paradox | Yes | No | No |
| 2019 | Luce | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2025 | Captain America: Brave New World | Yes | Yes | No |
Open Continents
Open Continents is a global media project comprising Onah's short, feature, music video and television work.
| Continent | Title | Country | Subject | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUROPE | SZMOLINSKY (Berlin Film Festival, SXSW Click, Melbourne Film Festival) | Germany | Euro Tales | 2008 |
| NIE PATRZ WSTECZ (London Film Festival, Camerimage Grand Jury Award) | Poland | 2008 | ||
| DRIK NU AGNES | Denmark | 2011 | ||
| AFRICA | GOODBYE CHICKEN, FAREWELL GOAT (Los Angeles Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, True/False Film Festival) | Nigeria | African Days | 2010 |
| BIG MAN (Dubai Film Festival, New York Times, Los Angeles Film Festival) | 2012 | |||
| NORTH AMERICA | SHE WAITS IN THE RESTLESS HORIZON | USA | New York Streets | 2005 |
| LINUS (MTVu Film of the Week, 1st Place Calvin Klein Short Film Competition) | 2007 | |||
| THE GIRL IS IN TROUBLE | 2015 | |||
| MEDITATIONS/A LOVE STORY | American Lives | 2004 | ||
| THE BOUNDARY (Amnesty International Movies That Matter, Best Director NBC Short Cuts, HBO) | 2008 | |||
| "BROKEN ARROWS" (Avicii) | 2015 | |||
| LUCE | 2019 | |||
| THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX | Hollywood Lights | 2018 |
References
- 1 2 Archived May 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Why 2017 Is The Breakout Year For Nigerian-American Directors, The Onah Brothers". www.konbini.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Legendary Sets Julius Onah To Helm 'Brilliance'". deadline.com. February 5, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ↑ Anderton, Ethan (May 12, 2014). "'Prometheus' Star Noomi Rapace is Joining Will Smith for 'Brilliance'". firstshowing.net. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ↑ "'God Particle' believes in newbie helmer". Variety. November 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ "Sundance 2019: Alfre Woodard, Alec Baldwin + Making Of 'Alien', Satanists & Roy Cohn Docus Among U.S., World Cinema, NEXT, Midnight & Kids Slates".
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 4, 2022). "Erik Feig & Patrick Wachsberger Gear Up On College Admissions Thriller 'Bad Genius', Julius Onah To Direct — EFM Hot Pic". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (July 8, 2022). "Captain America 4 Finds Its Director in Filmmaker Julius Onah (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.