Nia DaCosta has become the first woman to direct a film in Danny Boyle’s "28 Days Later" franchise with "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," which premiered this week. This achievement adds to her significant directorial milestones.
At 36 years old, DaCosta has directed several notable films. Her second feature, "Candyman" (2021), co-written and produced by Jordan Peele, debuted at number one at the US box office, making her the first Black female director to accomplish this. In 2023, she directed "The Marvels," becoming the first Black woman to direct a Marvel film and overseeing the highest-grossing film directed by a Black woman.
DaCosta's early exposure to international cinema through her boarding school's international students, including Bong Joon Ho's "The Host," influenced her path. She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (2011) and studied at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her early career included working as a production assistant for directors such as Martin Scorsese and Steve McQueen. In 2015, she participated in the Sundance Institute Director’s Lab, and this month, she will receive the Sundance Institute’s annual Vanguard Award for Fiction. Her debut film, "Little Woods," starring Tessa Thompson, was released in 2019.
DaCosta first viewed "28 Days Later" at age 12. "The Bone Temple" serves as the second installment in the "28 Years Later" trilogy, with Danny Boyle directing the first and final films. DaCosta approached the film with her distinct vision, differentiating her style from Boyle's. The film includes intense visual sequences and features artistic details such as music from Duran Duran and Radiohead, and ambient insect sounds designed to evoke nature's resurgence.
After directing four adaptation movies, DaCosta plans to focus on writing original scripts, beginning with a body horror film. She distinguishes body horror, which explores the uncanny and perverse, from simple gore. DaCosta has commented on the male-dominated nature of the horror genre, suggesting that women can bring unique perspectives to guide the work in a more progressive direction. Her high school film, "The Black Girl Dies Last," subverted racial clichés in horror films.