Rick Famuyiwa - Background

Background

Rick Famuyiwa grew up in the southwestern Los Angeles, California suburb of Inglewood. Son of Nigerian immigrants, Famuyiwa is a first-generation Nigerian American. Reflecting on his time growing up in Inglewood, Famuyiwa recounts, “The thing you gotta understand about L.A. is that everything is suburbia. Los Angeles isn't set up like San Francisco or New York. People come to L.A. and they expect to see a ghetto like the projects, but that's not the way it's set up. Inglewood, in particular, is the furthest thing from a ghetto. It's a middle-class community, but it's gotten a bad rap over the years...because of Grand Canyon and Pulp Fiction and other films.” Influenced by his upbringing in a heavily African American and Latino community, Famuyiwa’s films explore key themes of racial diversity and acceptance of oneself and others. Famuyiwa continues about his hometown, “I would be lying if I said there isn't a negative element in the city, but I would say it's no different than any other city. You come across gangs and you come across negative things -- but it's like everywhere else, if that's what you gravitate toward and that's what you want to do, you're gonna find trouble no matter what you do. But we were never into that. My group of friends were never into that.” Ultimately, Famuyiwa’s upbringing in the racially eclectic Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood would have tremendous impact on his later cinematic works and point of view as both an individual and artist.

After high school, Famuyiwa attended the University of Southern California (USC) and double majored in Cinematic Arts Film & Television Production and Cinematic Arts Critical Studies. During his time at the University, Famuyiwa worked intimately with film professor Todd Boyd, who would later help write and produce his first feature film. In 1996, prior to graduation, Famuyiwa created a 12-minute short film entitled Blacktop Lingo that garnered critical positive feedback and led to his invitation to the Sundance Filmmaker’s Institute. In 1997, during his time at the Sundance Director’s Lab, Famuyiwa perfected his craft and put the finishing touches on The Wood, what would later be his first feature film. In 1999, Famuyiwa married his wife Glenita Mosley whom he met at the University of California, Los Angeles.