Amma Asante

Amma Asante is a British screenwriter, director, and producer, celebrated for her thought-provoking films that explore themes of race, identity, and social justice. Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Asante began her career as a child actress, starring in the BBC series "Grange Hill." However, her passion for storytelling soon led her behind the camera, where she found her true voice in screenwriting and directing.

Asante made her directorial debut in 2004 with "A Way of Life," a critically acclaimed drama about a young, struggling single mother in Wales. The film earned her the The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer, establishing her as a rising talent in the British film industry.

Her next major success came with "Belle," a historical drama based on the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a British naval officer raised by aristocrats in 18th-century England. The film deftly addressed issues of race, class, and gender within the framework of a period drama, receiving widespread praise for its elegant storytelling and strong performances.

Asante continued her exploration of complex social themes in "A United Kingdom," which tells the true story of the interracial marriage between Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana, and Ruth Williams, a white British woman, against the backdrop of British colonialism, and "Where Hands Touch," a film about a teenage girl under threat because of her mixed heritage while surviving in Nazi Germany. "The Billion Dollar Spy," a Cold War-era espionage thriller, is her next film, based on the true story of a Soviet engineer who became one of the most valuable spies for the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.

Asante has also worked in television, directing episodes of they dystopian series "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Mrs. America," a historical drama chronicling the real-life battle over the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970.

In 2017, Asante was named an MBE by Queen Elizabeth for Services to Film as a Writer and Director. She is a member of the American Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences and has twice been elected to the BAFTA council.