Antonie Fuqua
*Antoine Fuqua was born on this date in 1966. He is a Black Filmmaker.
A native of Pittsburgh, Fuqua studied engineering at West Virginia University before moving to New York in 1987 to direct music videos. After forming his own production company, Reel Power, he directed his debut short film ‘Exit.’ Fuqua’s debut feature film, Columbia Pictures ‘The Replacement Killers, was followed by the comedic thriller ‘Bait.’ Before long, Fuqua's visual and narrative sensibility made him one of the industry's most sought-after music video and commercial directors.
His credits include television commercials for Miller Genuine Draft, Reebok, Toyota, and Sprite and music videos for a wide array of artists, including Arrested Development, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Toni Braxton. Fuqua won an MTV Award for Best Rap Video and two prestigious Music Video Production honors (The Young Generators Award and The Sinclair Tenenbaum Olesiuk and Emanual Award) for his video for Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise.
Fuqua confirmed his place as a young director of unique vision and craft with the release of Warner Bros.' Training Day starring Denzel Washington. He has established himself as one of the foremost talents of his generation. Through his diverse body of work, he has achieved his goal of making highly stylized films that resonate thematically and personally with audiences.
In early 2018, Fuqua worked as one of the executive producers on the medical drama series The Resident. In the summer of 2018, his thriller sequel, The Equalizer 2 (2018), was released with Denzel Washington returning in the main role. In June 2021, Fuqua's sci-fi film Infinite was released. In 2021, Fuqua and actor Will Smith announced that their upcoming film, Emancipation, will not be filmed in Georgia because of the recent passage of Georgia's restrictive voting law.
Smith and Fuqua released a joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws designed to restrict voter access. Fuqua currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Lela Rochon Fuqua and baby daughter, Asia Rochon. And Fuqua enjoys frequent quality time with their son Zachary Fuqua.
