A. V. Rockwell | |
|---|---|
 Rockwell in 2023 | |
| Born | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | New York University |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Notable work | A Thousand and One |
| Awards | Sundance Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic (2023);Guggenheim Fellowship (2017) |
A. V. Rockwell (born Alina Victoria Rockwell[1]) is an American film director. In 2023, she made her directorial feature film debut with the filmA Thousand and One, which gave her aGotham Award, aBlack Reel Award, anIndependent Spirit Award, aDirector's Guild nomination, and nominations at theNAACP Image Awards.[2]
Rockwell was born and raised inQueens, New York, to parents from Jamaica.[2] She attended high school atBrooklyn Technical High School[3] and attended film school at theTisch School of the Arts atNew York University.[4] One of her early inspirations to pursue film came from studying European cinema while studying inParis.[5]
One of Rockwell's early works was the seriesOpen City Mixtape, which followed young people's stories in New York City, and was shot in black-and-white. Subsequently, Rockwell worked withAlicia Keys on the music-focused music short filmThe Gospel for Keys' sixth studio album,Here.[6][7] The work gave her a silverClio Awards.[8]
In 2018, Rockwell released her short filmFeathers,[9] which debuted at theToronto International Film Festival.[10] ForFeathers, Rockwell was named the grand-prize winner of theTribeca Film Institute and CHANEL’s Through Her Lens grant; the film was selected as part of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was then acquired byFox Searchlight Pictures for their Searchlight Shorts collection.[11][12]
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In 2023, Rockwell made her feature debut withA Thousand and One, starringTeyana Taylor and set inHarlem, New York, between 1994 and 2005.[14] The film debuted at the 2023Sundance Film Festival,[15] where it won the Grand Jury Prize.[16] She has citedMartin Scorsese andSpike Lee as influences, as well as the filmsGoodfellas,Crooklyn,Do the Right Thing,Who Framed Roger Rabbit,Z,The Battle of Algiers, andSeven Beauties.[17]
Over her career, Rockwell has been named one ofFilmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, was a 2018 Young Guns award winner,[11] and has received fellowships from theSundance Institute,Tribeca Film Institute and the John S. Guggenheim Foundation.[18] She won the Breakthrough Director Award at the2023 Gotham Awards for her work in her feature film directorial debutA Thousand and One.[19]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Gospel | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2018 | Feathers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2023 | A Thousand and One | Yes | Yes | Executive | Feature directorial debut |
| Association | Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African-American Film Critics Association | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Best Independent Feature | Won | [20] |
| Astra Film Awards | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Best First Feature | Nominated | [21] |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 2023 | A Thousand and One | Best First Film | Nominated | [22] |
| Black Film Critics Circle | 2023 | Herself | Rising Star Award | Won | [23] |
| Black Reel Awards | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Outstanding Independent Film | Won | [24] |
| Outstanding Director | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Emerging Director | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding First Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 2023 | A Thousand and One | Breakthrough Filmmaker | Nominated | [25] |
| Clio Awards | 2017 | Alicia Keys: The Gospel | Music - Film Long Form: Music Marketing | silver | [8] |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Nominated | [26] |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | 2023 | A Thousand and One | Best First Film | Runner-up | [27] |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 2023 | A Thousand and One | Best Feature | Nominated | [28] |
| Breakthrough Director | Won | ||||
| Hamptons International Film Festival | 2018 | Feathers | Best Narrative Short | Nominated | [29] |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Best First Feature | Won | [30] |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture) | Nominated | [31] |
| Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||||
| Online Film Critics Society | 2024 | A Thousand and One | Best Debut Feature | Nominated | [32] |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | 2023 | A Thousand and One | Best First Feature (Director) | Nominated | [33] |
| Sundance Film Festival | 2019 | Feathers | Short Film Grand Jury Prize | Nominated | |
| 2023 | A Thousand and One | Grand Jury Prize — U.S. Dramatic | Won | [34] | |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2019 | Feathers | Short Cuts Award | Nominated | [35] |
| Tribeca Festival | 2016 | Alicia Keys: The Gospel | Best Narrative Short | Nominated | [36] |
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