Julius Onah: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Julius Onah, born February 10, 1983, is a highly talented Nigerian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Notably, he directed films such as The Girl Is in Trouble (2015), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), Luce (2019), and the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World (2025). Born in Okpoma, Cross River State, Nigeria to a Nigerian diplomat, Onah has quite a diverse upbringing as he was raised in various countries like the Philippines, Nigeria, Togo and the United Kingdom before finally settling in Arlington County, Virginia. He obtained his B.A. in theater from Wesleyan University and completed an M.F.A. from the graduate film program at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he was named a Dean's Fellow. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship. Onah's work has received international acclaim, being featured at several film festivals across the globe. He has been recognized as one of Filmmaker magazine's New Faces of Independent Film and made the Forbes Magazine's 13 African Celebrities To Watch list. His first feature, The Girl Is in Trouble (2015), was supported by executive producer Spike Lee, and starred Alicja Bachleda, Wilmer Valderrama, Columbus Short, and Jesse Spencer. Onah then went on to direct The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) with J. J. Abrams as the producer. His latest work, Luce featuring Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr., was premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Onah's future project includes the thriller film Bad Genius, a remake of the 2017 Thai film with the same title. He also directed Captain America: Brave New World.