March 10, 2021
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood has been elected to join Director Jeffrey W. Byrd and UPM Dwight Williams as a Co-Chair of the African American Steering Committee (AASC). Prince-Bythewood replaces Director Janice Cooke who stepped down from the post.
Prince-Bythewood’s credits include writing and directing the award-winning features, Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees, and the award-nominated feature, Beyond the Lights; and directing the recent critically acclaimed feature, The Old Guard. She is currently at work on the TriStar Pictures historical epic, The Woman King, as well as planning to direct the first episode and serve as an Executive Producer of ABC’s limited series, Women of the Movement. An advocate for equal representation in film and television on-screen and behind-the-scenes, Prince-Bythewood also funds a scholarship for African American students in the film program at her alma mater, UCLA. She has been a DGA member since 1999 and serves as an alternate on the Western Directors Council.
About the Committee
The AASC was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Guild with goal of advancing career and job opportunities. The Committee meets several times a year, planning events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives.