Chinonye Chukwu (b. 1985)
Birthplace:
Fiumi, Nigeria
Born:
May 19, 1985
Chinonye Chukwu is Assistant Professor of Film Production at Wright State University, where she teaches courses in screenwriting and directing in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures. She is a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Award and Princeton Hodder Fellowship. Her debut feature film, AlaskaLand, has been selected to screen globally, including the Chicago International Film Festival and the New York African Festival at Lincoln Center. The film is currently available on iTunes, VOD and other digital and broadcast platforms. Chinonye’s short film, The Dance Lesson, premiered at the Ritz Theater of Philadelphia and was later licensed by mindTV for regional network distribution. The film was also a Regional Finalist for the 2010 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Student Academy Awards. Currently, Chinonye has just completed her next project, entitled A Long Walk. The film is a short adaptation of the anthologized story, “A Walk Through the Neighborhood”, and is partially funded by a $27,000 Special Projects Grant from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. The film continues to thrive on the festival circuit, winning a Special Jury prize at the USA Festival and "Best Short Film" at the Dayton LGBT Film Festival. It has also screened at several Academy Award Qualifying festivals, including: the Cleveland International Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Athens International Film and Video Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival.