Neema Barnette

Director, Producer, Writer

December 14, 1949 (76 years)
Neema Barnette (born December 14, 1949) is an American film director. She was the first African-American woman to direct a primetime sitcom and also the first African-American woman to get a three-picture deal with Sony. Barnette has won several awards, including a Peabody Award, an Emmy Award, a Sundance Film Festival Award, the Sojourner Truth Award at Cannes, and two NAACP Image Awards. She has directed over fifty hours of network television, ten made-for-TV movies, and four feature films. Barnette also serves as executive producer for Black History Mini Docs, a series of videos that are ninety seconds or less featuring the stories of notable African-Americans throughout history. Her work primarily focuses on challenging the stereotypes of Black people that are depicted in entertainment.

In 1990, she founded Harlem Girl Productions. She is an active American Film Institute alumni and was selected as one of ten artists to judge its 2002 Best Film Awards. Additionally, she is part of the Directors Guild of America's African American Steering Committee, a member of the Black Filmmakers Foundation, and serves as an annual judge for the Pan African Film Festival. She occasionally teaches various film courses, both virtually and at universities in California. Together with her husband, Barnette also owns Reel Rebel Productions and runs Live Theatre Gang, a theater and performance company for young adults.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Civil Brand
    Civil Brand2003
  • CBS Schoolbreak Special
    CBS Schoolbreak Special5 seasons
  • Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
    Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story1996
  • King of Stage: The Woodie King Jr. Story
    King of Stage: The Woodie King Jr. Story2018

Known For

  • Marvel's Luke Cage
    Marvel's Luke Cage2 seasons
  • The Cosby Show
    The Cosby Show8 seasons
  • Raising Dion
    Raising Dion2 seasons
  • Bosch
    Bosch7 seasons
  • Gilmore Girls
    Gilmore Girls7 seasons
  • Blindspot
    Blindspot5 seasons
  • A Different World (1987)
    A Different World (1987)6 seasons
  • Genius (2017)
    Genius (2017)4 seasons
  • Jane the Virgin
    Jane the Virgin5 seasons
  • Black Lightning
    Black Lightning4 seasons
  • The Good Cop (2018)
    The Good Cop (2018)1 season
  • Super Sweet 16: The Movie
    Super Sweet 16: The Movie2007
  • Harlem
    Harlem3 seasons
  • All You've Got
    All You've Got2006
  • Being Mary Jane
    Being Mary Jane4 seasons
  • Midnight, Texas
    Midnight, Texas2 seasons
  • 7th Heaven
    7th Heaven11 seasons
  • Civil Brand
    Civil Brand2003
  • Reasonable Doubt (2022)
    Reasonable Doubt (2022)3 seasons
  • Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day
    Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day2012