Channing Godfrey Peoples

Channing Godfrey Peoples is an American writer, director, and producer. Her feature film directorial debut Miss Juneteenth received critical acclaim. Her family regularly attended Black theatre performances, which influenced Peoples to read classic Black literature by writers such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor.

Career Miss Juneteenth Peoples began writing Miss Juneteenth in 2013, shortly after completing film school. She was inspired to write the film because she grew up attending Juneteenth celebrations and Miss Juneteenth pageants and the holiday holds great significance for her. When the film was in pre-production, Peoples was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2018. Miss Juneteenth, also Peoples' directorial debut, premiered at Sundance 2020 and was released VOD on Juneteenth of that year. The film received critical acclaim and holds a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

She cites Julie Dash, Jonathan Demme, and her mentor Charles Burnett as influences.

In January 2021 it was announced that Peoples signed a first look deal with Universal Content Productions.

Peoples' wrote and directed the short film Doretha's Blues, which debuted at SXSW in 2021. The movie stars Tonea Stewart and follows "a former musician whose son was killed by police and who can no longer find it in her to sing." She was inspired to write Doretha's Blues in the aftermath of Michael Brown's death, as she was interested in the lives of the family left behind.

Personal life Peoples is married to producer Neil Creque Williams, whom she met in her graduate program at USC. 2020 SXSW Louis Black Lone Star Award 2020 BlackStar Film Festival Best Narrative Feature 2020 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Woman Director|Best Woman Director 2020 National Board of Review Best Directorial Debut|Best Directorial Debut 2020 Satellite Awards Best First Feature

Best First Feature

Best First Screenplay

Outstanding Independent Feature

Outstanding Director Outstanding Emerging Director Outstanding First Screenplay Austin Film Festival New Voice Award