Nnegest Likké

Nnegest Olufunmilayo Likké (born February 19, 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.

Many of her works explore themes of cross-cultural relationships between black Americans and Africans, and she is a pioneer of the blended-culture genre.

Nnegest is one of the first women of color to write and direct a movie distributed by a major Hollywood studio. Her directing credits include Fox Searchlight's cult-classic romantic-comedy Phat Girlz, indie love dramas Ben & Ara and Everything But A Man, and two documentary features.

Early life and education Nnegest Likké was born in Oakland, California, and raised in Oakland and San Francisco. She is the daughter of an African-American civil rights activist and an Ethiopian freedom fighter. During her childhood, Likké had the opportunity of traveling around the world, including throughout Europe and Africa with her mother.

Career Likké moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. While honing her craft, Likké taught drama, history and English at a high school in Los Angeles. This film, considered a cult-classic is a romantic-comedy about two attractive, full-figured women who meet the men of their dreams while on vacation. Her second film was Ben & Ara, followed by indie Everything But a Man starring Monica Calhoun and Jimmy Jean-Louis (2019). Likké wrote, directed and produced Everything But a Man, about the challenges successful, career-driven women have finding love.

In 2015, Likké received an honorary mention for Best Feature Film at the All Lights India International Film Festival. In 2016, Ben and Ara won the award for Best Diaspora film by the Africa Movie Academy Awards.