Screenwriter / Director
EMMA
NEEDELL
"It's a tricky balancing act to take an audience from a terminally-ill mom to an avalanche of insects, but director David Oyelowo (working from Emma Needell's Black List screenplay) gets all the tones just right."
- Alonso Duralde, TheWrap
THE WATER MAN
is on
"An engaging for-kids ghost story whose fantasy elements are thoughtfully grounded by real-world concerns..."
- Peter Debruge, Variety
"What really stands out throughout is the complexity of these characters, and the nature of their specific struggles. Everyone gets to be human."
- Sheila O'Malley, Roger Ebert
More reviews on ROTTEN TOMATOES.
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PRESS
BIO
I am a filmmaker who tells stories that are "evil with a heart" — dark in theme, story, or tone, but always with a glimpse of hope.
I grew up on a solar-powered cattle ranch in rural Colorado. I didn’t have cable television, but thanks to my cinephile parents, I had a robust collection of films to watch growing up — and it was through these films that I first discovered the larger world and decided to move to Hollywood to make movies of my own.
When I was 24 years old, my breakout script, The Water Man, caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo, who came on to produce the project. The Water Man was featured on the 2015 Blacklist, and in 2019 was made into a feature-length film, with David Oyelowo directing. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020.
I have since worked with Oscar-winning directors and producers, and on original projects in partnership with Netflix, Anonymous Content, MGM/Orion, Amblin, Apple, and Gaumont TV. In 2020, I was featured on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
I am currently working on a film that uses a combination of live-action and virtual production. More on that soon...
