Jenn Nkiru

Nigerian-British Jenn Nkiru is a visionary artist and filmmaker from Peckham, London. Througher commercial work, documentaries and short films, Nkiru fuses art and popular culture with powerful effect.

A frequent collaborator with Beyoncé, Nkiru collaborated on the global superstar’s celebratory album "Black Is King" and directed its lead track "Brown Skin Girl” featuring Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell and the musician’s family. The film became a worldwide phenomena and Nkiru won Best Music Video at the Grammy Awards 2021. “Brown Skin Girl” also won Outstanding Music Video / Visual Album 2021, NAACP Image Awards, Gold Lion Excellence in Music Video at Cannes Lions 2021 and the Grand Prix Award 2020, Ciclope Awards. She has also shot videos for Kamasi Washington, Neneh Cherry and JN1.

A Howard University graduate with an MFA in film, Nkiru's Oscar-nominated debut short En Vogue was shot by cinematographer Bradford Young and screened worldwide to critical acclaim. In 2017, Nkiru directed "Rebirth Is Necessary", a dreamlike art film focusing on the magic and vibrancy of negritude past, present and future. Produced by Iconoclast and commissioned by Nowness, the film won numerous awards, including the Voice of a Woman Award at Cannes, Best Short Documentary at London Independent Film Festival
and AFI Fest 2018 Grand Jury Prize Live Action Short Film.

Her 2019 documentary "Black To Techno" commissioned by Frieze and Gucci is an exploration
of the techno culture of Detroit and Berlin, showing the influence of these two cities’ population industrialization, geography and politics on gender. Widely acclaimed, it won two awards at Cannes Lions 2019: Young Director Award and Online Branded Film.

Alongside global film and music icons Elijah Wood, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Peachese, Nkiru is founding curator of Boiler Room's new 4:3 video platform. She has created a unique special installation around the themes of Afrofuturism, hosting a panel discussion and screening with singer-actress Janelle Monae, as well as screening works by John Akomfrah, Sunny Rollins and Flying Lotus, among others.

Recent commercial collaborations include Nike “Motherhood”, New York Times “The Truth Is Worth It” and campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Audemars Piguet. Her Facebook ads include “Take On Life In America Together”, “Class of 2020”, and "I Am Beautiful", which supports people who are judged or feel different in the eyes of society

In 2023, Nkiru shot the Samsung “Z Flip 5” (2023) campaign and directed episodes of "The Parable of The Pirate and the King” and artist Terence Nance’s HBO sketch comedy series “Random Acts of Flyness” featuring vérité documentary, music performances and animation.