Nigerian filmmaker emerges as first black woman to win Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize

History was made at the Sundance Film Festival when Nigerian-American filmmaker, Chinonye Chukwu, became the first Black woman to win the Grand Jury Prize — the festival’s highest honors.

Chinonye emerged winner in the category for her U.S. Dramatic entry, Clemency (which she wrote and directed) after she was voted for by individual juries for the awards.

She joins Desiree Akhavan, Ryan Coogler, Damien Chazelle, Rebecca Miller, and many more big names as winning the Grand Jury Prize for their U.S. Dramatic entries, says IndieWire online news platform.

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The works of the Nigerian born, Alaskan-raised screenwriter, producer and director, has received several recognition, grants and awards in the past.

Her film, “Clemency,” is a gripping death row drama starring Alfre Woodard, as a prison warden struggling with the emotional demands of her job, won the festival’s biggest prize, the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. dramatic entry.

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