While the director of the latest video remains Ricky Saiz who is responsible for Beyonce’s Yonce video, the second unit director of the single is a British-Nigerian Jenn Nkiru. In an industry where women are beginning to gain recognition for their artsitry, she joins the likes of Ava Duvernay (Jay-Z’s Family Feud) and Melina Matsoukas (Beyonce’s Lemonade).
Nkiru, a contemporary artist, identifies as a Nigerian filmmaker and is known for her style of telling stories that project the marginalised and the issues they struggle with. At the age of 21, she attended Howard University where she graduated with an MFA in film directing. In 2017, she showcased her short film at the Tate Modern Gallery International Women’s Day celebration. This distinctive work featured Guerrilla Girls and Zinzi Minott dances. That same year, she also worked with Bradford Young, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer for her short film En Vogue and has a series called the HASHTAG$.
More so, her 2017 short film, Rebirth Is Necessary won best documentary at the 2018 London Independent Festival.
Nkiru rose from a humble beginning. At the young age of 15, Nkiru worked as an assistant to Diane Martel, an established director.
She is also recognised for writing excellent music video stories. In this regard, she has written for Pharell, Major Laser, Imagine Dragons, Red Bull and J Cole.
She presently owns Nkiru + Nkiru production company.
