Numa Perrier

Numa Perrier is a Haitian-American actress, director, writer, producer, actress, and visual artist. She is a co-founder of Black&Sexy TV. Her debut feature film, Jezebel, premiered at SXSW in 2019 and received accolades from the American Black Film Festival and the Indie Memphis Film Festival.[1][2]

Numa Perrier
Born
Haiti
NationalityHaitian-American
Occupation
Years active2008-present
Notable work
Jezebel
Spouse(s)Gabrey Milner (m. 2020)
Children1

Early life

Perrier was born in Haiti and was adopted and raised in Washington state in a family of eight children.[3] She got to know her biological mother when she was 17.[3][4] Perrier moved to Las Vegas in late adolescence and did online "peep show" work as a cam girl to make money. Her savings allowed her to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and visual art.[5]

Career

Perrier co-founded Black&Sexy TV, a creative collective and streaming service for Black Millennial audiences, with former partners Dennis Dortch, Brian Ali Harding and Jeanine Daniels in 2010.[6] Their first collaboration was a film called A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy, which premiered at Sundance and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures.[7] Beginning in 2011 they used YouTube to post their content. Notable shows include The Couple, The Number, Hello Cupid and RoomieLoverFriends.[3] In 2014 the collective launched a separate pay wall site becoming the first indie streamer for Black millennials. Numa starred in The Couple alongside Desmond Faison, and HBO picked up the series for development.

In 2017 Perrier formally exited the collective and directed her first feature film Jezebel, starring Tiffany Tenille. The film is semi-autobiographical and draws on Perrier's experience as a "cam girl" performer. Perrier also co stars in the film, which was shot on-location in Las Vegas.[5] Jezebel premiered at SXSW in March 2019, and received positive critical reception.[2] The Hollywood Reporter selected Jezebel as one of its "Best of SXSW 2019" picks.[8] The Los Angeles Times referred to Perrier as "a very fine naturalistic actor" and gave further praise to her filmmaking noting her "striking handling and welcome thoughtfulness of style."[9] Array Releasing acquired the film in 2019 with a limited theatrical run and it debuted on Netflix on January 16, 2020.[10] Perrier was awarded Best Director and Best Feature Film for Jezebel at The American Black Film Festival 2019.

Perrier played a recurring guest star role on Showtime's SMILF prior to its cancellation. She also directed numerous TV episodes including Queen Sugar, Cinema Toast, and The Wonder Years Reboot. [5] She also has a production company called House of Numa.[11]

In 2020 it was announced Perrier would direct the Netflix romantic comedy The Perfect Find starring Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers. The film is slated for a 2022 release. [12]

In December 2021, it was announced that she will produce and star in The Erotic, a biopic about poet and author Audre Lorde.[13]

Personal life

Perrier has one daughter, Rockwelle, with former partner Dennis Dortch.[3] Dortch and Perrier split up in 2016. [5] Perrier married Gabrey Milner, son of Broadway playwright Ron Milner, in October 2020.[14]

References
  1. Christian, Aymar Jean (9 January 2018). Open TV : innovation beyond Hollywood and the rise of web television. New York. ISBN 9781479815975. OCLC 994144475.
  2. "'Jezebel': Film Review | SXSW 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. McDonald, Soraya Nadia. "Meet Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier: The couple behind 'The Couple'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  4. Mumin, Nijla (11 August 2014). "Women In Red: Numa Perrier's 'Florida Water' Reconstructs Image and Memory". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  5. McDonald, Soraya Nadia (25 March 2019). "In 'Jezebel,' director Numa Perrier recalls the early days of internet sex work". The Undefeated. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  6. "Cool Jobs: Get Hip To 'Black & Sexy TV,' The Now Generation's Netflix". Black Enterprise. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. Ramos, Dino-Ray (20 February 2019). "'Jezebel' Clip: SXSW Coming-Of-Age Drama From Numa Perrier Explores Sisterhood And The Internet Fetish World". Deadline. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  8. "'Booksmart' - Critics' Picks: The Best of SXSW 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. Abele, Robert (16 January 2020). "Review: Day in the life of a sex worker turns up unexpected gem in 'Jezebel'". Los Angeles Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. Ramos, Dino-Ray (4 December 2019). "ARRAY Acquires Numa Perrier's Cam Girl Coming-Of-Age Drama 'Jezebel'; Watch The First Trailer".
  11. "'Jezebel' Director Numa Perrier Is Just Getting Started". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  12. https://deadline.com/2020/06/gabrielle-union-movie-the-perfect-find-netflix-numa-perrier-directing-1202957790/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Complex, Valerie (9 December 2021). "'Jezebel' Director Numa Perrier To Produce And Star In Audre Lorde Indie Biopic 'The Erotic'". Deadline Hollywood.
  14. William, Kimberly (13 October 2020). "Writer-Director Numa Perrier Celebrated Her Wedding With A Unique Drive-In Movie". Essence. Retrieved 17 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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