Kemp Powers | |
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Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | October 30, 1973
Education | Howard University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2012–present |
Kemp Powers (born October 30, 1973) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his play One Night in Miami and the 2020 film adaptation of the same name, as well as for co-directing the animated films Soul (2020) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). His screenplay for One Night in Miami... earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards, [1] while his work on Soul made him the first African-American to co-direct a Disney animated feature. [2]
After writing the 2012 short film This Day Today, he scripted the 2013 play One Night in Miami . [3] [4] [5] In 2017, Powers was brought onboard to write several scripts for Star Trek: Discovery season one episodes. [6] In 2018, he co-wrote the script for Pixar's Soul , with Pete Docter and Mike Jones, as well as co-directing the film with Docter, making his directorial debut. [7] [8] On July 9, 2019, it was announced that actress Regina King would be directing a film adaptation of Powers' play One Night in Miami. [9] On December 16, 2020, Powers hosted the first three episodes of the podcast Soul Stories, which was released as a Spotify exclusive. In the episodes, Powers interviewed several people who worked on the film mainly about their mentors and careers, as well as some behind-the-scenes stories behind the making of the film. [10] An alumnus of Howard University, Powers is the first African-American co-director in Pixar history. [11] In April 2021, Powers was revealed to be directing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse with Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson. [12] In March 2023, Powers premiered his play The XIXth (The Nineteenth), which chronicles the lives of two Black American sprinters who raised their fists in protest during the 1968 Summer Olympics games. [13]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | This Day Today | No | Yes | Short film |
2017 | Star Trek: Discovery | No | Yes | 5 episodes [6] |
2020 | One Night in Miami... | No | Yes | Also executive producer [14] [15] |
Soul | Co-Director | Yes | Co-writer (with Pete Docter and Mike Jones) [16] | |
2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Yes | No | With Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson [12] |
TBA | Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse | Yes | No | |
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [1] |
March 10, 2024 | Best Animated Feature | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Nominated | [23] | |
AAFCA Awards | April 7, 2021 | Best Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Won | [24] |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [25] | |
Annie Awards | April 16, 2021 | Best Direction – Feature | Soul | Nominated | [26] |
Best Writing – Feature | Won | ||||
February 17, 2024 | Best Direction – Feature | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Won | [27] | |
Black Reel Awards | April 11, 2021 | Outstanding Breakthrough Screenwriter | One Night in Miami... | Nominated | [28] |
Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original | Nominated | ||||
Soul | Nominated | ||||
Celebration of Cinema and Television | December 4, 2023 | Animation Award | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Won | [29] |
Chicago Film Critics Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Original Screenplay | Soul | Nominated | [30] [31] |
Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | |||
Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [32] | |
Denver Film Critics Society | January 18, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [33] | |
Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2020 | Best Original Screenplay | Soul | Nominated | [34] |
Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Animated Feature | Won | [35] [36] | |
Harvey Awards | October 12, 2023 | Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Won | [37] [38] |
Hawaii Film Critics Society | January 13, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [39] |
Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Director | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Won | [40] |
Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [41] |
Hugo Awards | December 15–19, 2021 | Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form | Soul | Nominated | [42] |
Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 21, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [43] |
Breakout of the Year | Nominated | ||||
NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Nominated | [44] [45] | |
Soul | Nominated | ||||
North Carolina Film Critics Association | January 4, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [46] |
Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 25, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [47] | |
Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Original Screenplay | Soul | Nominated | [48] |
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards | January 17, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | One Night in Miami | Nominated | [49] |
Writers Guild of America Awards | March 21, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | [50] | |
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. Their works have received five Academy Award nominations, their first four feature length works all received nominations for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Animated Short Film. The company also developed the cartoon series Skunk Fu!, Puffin Rock, Dorg Van Dango and Viking Skool. As of 2020, the studio employs 300 animators.
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