Stella Meghie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films Jean of the Joneses (2016), Everything, Everything (2017), The Weekend (2018), and The Photograph (2020)."Canadian director Stella Meghie on how her indie film led her to Hollywood". CTV News, September 13, 2016. Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including Grown-ish, Insecure, and First Wives Club.
For her debut feature, Meghie was nominated for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. She has also received nominations from the Canadian Screen Awards and NAACP Image Awards.
Early life Meghie was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican immigrant parents."‘Jean of the Joneses’ Director Stella Meghie Is One to Watch". Ebony, October 21, 2016. She pursued a degree in writing at the University of Waterloo, before beginning a career as a public relations agent in New York City's fashion industry. In 2007, she quit her job to return to school and received a degree in screenwriting from the University of Westminster."Stella Meghie makes her directorial debut with Jean of the Joneses". Q, November 16, 2016.
Career In 2016, Meghie made her feature film debut with the indie comedy-drama Jean of the Joneses which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. The film received a nomination for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards and two Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017. Meghie was also nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category."The Canadian Screen Awards nominations are out!". Now, January 17, 2017.
After her first picture, Meghie began work on studio features. She directed the romance film Everything, Everything (2017), an adaptation of the New York Times best selling novel Everything, Everything. The film starred Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson and was a commercial success, grossing $61 million worldwide on a production budget of $10 million.
Marking her return to indie features, Meghie's film The Weekend premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The indie film was shot in just under two weeks from a script Meghie had written years prior.
In 2020, Meghie directed her fourth feature film, The Photograph. The film was inspired by Meghie's own grandmother who reconnected with a daughter she had not seen in almost thirty years. Starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, the film received generally favourable reviews and grossed $20 million.
Meghie was slated to direct a Whitney Houston biopic for Sony Pictures titled Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody from a screenplay written by Anthony McCarten and with Naomi Ackie set to star as Houston. Kasi Lemmons ultimately took over directing duties though Meghie remained an executive producer.
On March 14, 2022, Meghie signed with Lighthouse Management + Media for representation.
Meghie is also set to executive-produce The Princess and the Frog spin-off series Tiana. She was also originally hired as writer and director, but was replaced in those capacities by Joyce Sherri by October 2023, before the series was ultimately cancelled in March 2025.
On February 22, 2023, it was announced that Meghie would direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series Wonder Man, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Filmography Feature films Year Film Credited as Notes Director Writer Producer Other 2016Jean of the Joneses 2017Everything, Everything 2018The Weekend 2020The Photograph 2021Encanto Creative leadership 2022Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Television Year Title Credited as Episode(s) Director Producer 2018-2019 Grown-ish "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", "Fake Love" 2017 Insecure "Fresh-Like", "Lowkey Movin' On" 2018 First Wives Club "The Glow Up" 2022 Minx "You happened to me" 2026 Wonder Man Post-production
See also List of University of Waterloo people
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