Gina Prince-Bythewood wrote and directed the widely acclaimed feature film LOVE & BASKETBALL, which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Prince-Bythewood won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and a Humanitas Prize for her work on the film. Her other feature directing credits include the HBO film “Disappearing Acts.”
Prince-Bythewood obtained her first feature film producer credit in 2003 on BIKER BOYZ, a Dreamworks film which was co-written and directed by her husband, Reggie Rock Bythewood.
Prince-Bythewood studied at UCLA Film School, where she received the Gene Reynolds Scholarship for Directing and the Ray Stark Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate. Upon her graduation, she was immediately hired as a writer on the television series “A Different World.” She continued to write and produce for network television on series such as “Felicity,” “South Central,” “Courthouse” and “Sweet Justice” before making the transition to directing.
Her television directorial debut was the CBS Schoolbreak Special “What About Your Friends,” which won Prince-Bythewood an NACCP Image Award for Best Children’s Special and two Emmy nominations for writing and directing. She has also directed episodes of the hit television comedies “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Girlfriends.”
Prince-Bythewood currently resides in Southern California with her husband Reggie and their sons Cassius and Toussaint.
Hi Ms. Prince-Bythewood,
My name is D.Nesmith, I'm a young student director/screenwriter from Philadelphia. I remember the first work of yours I went to see was Love and Basketball with my mother. It would be years before I knew you directed it when I watched your interview for Kirby Dick in his documentary This film is not yet rated.
Since this summer, I have been working on a screenplay. This summer almost marked the death of Michael Jackson.Being a black female director/screenwriter and being in a school where I'm the sole one, I began writing a script on The Jackson Five and their lives.
I see this film in my head, and my heart tells me I am the only one who can direct this. I have vision and I know how this film should go, I'm hoping that this film will open up the view of black films particularly those directed by women.I mean I have planned everything from the trailer, cinematography,distribution and marketing just about everything.
I think when I watched your film, Love and Basketball, your passion on the truthfullness of black love for the documentary I knew immediately what I wanted to ask you. I guess I have one question to ask. You knew when you wrote that piece, you had to direct it, no one else.
I wanted to know,how do I go about making the steps to make a project like this reality. I want this project to receive the same attention any other film on the cover of Premiere magazine gets, any advice you can give me will be great.
Thank You so much for your talent,
D.Nesmith
d_nesmith@hotmail.com