‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu and the Filmmakers Behind the Horror Film on Making Sundance History
variety.comAngelique Jackson When “Nanny” writer-director Nikyatu Jusu got a message from the Sundance team in late January asking to jump on a call, the first time filmmaker realized that the project must’ve won an award, which would be presented publicly the next day.First, Jusu thought that the prize might go to the film’s star Anna Diop, who’d been earning rave reviews for her performance as Aisha, a Senegalese woman who recently immigrated to America and begins working for a wealth family on the Upper East Side in New York City.
Then, she speculated the prize could be for cinematographer Rina Yang’s work lensing the film, which would be a win for the whole team.
But she didn’t imagine that the film would instead win one of Sundance’s grand jury award in the U.S. dramatic category — and she certainly didn’t expect her reaction to be captured in real time. “I thought I had an evening to put together a comprehensive coherent speech.
I was like ‘Okay, I’m gonna be poised,’” Jusu tells Variety, reflecting on the winning moment during a Zoom interview with the filmmaking team a few days later.But after she clicked on a link to the “survey” she’d been sent by the Sundance team, Jusu was completely shocked to hear producer Chelsea Barnhard, a member of the U.S.
Read more on variety.com
