Craig Brewer

Craig Houston Brewer, born December 6, 1971, is an established American filmmaker. His notable works include the 2005 movie, Hustle & Flow, which not only won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival but also achieved commercial success, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song, It's Hard out Here for a Pimp. The son of Gail, a teacher, and Walter D. Brewer, an executive, Brewer was born in Newport News, Virginia, and grew up in Vallejo, California. He showcased his talent early on in projects like The Poor & Hungry. His successful collaboration with Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson on the television series, Empire proved pivotal to his career.

In addition to being a filmmaker, Brewer is also the creator of $5 Cover, an MTV drama series about Memphis musicians. Other notable films over the years include Black Snake Moan, the 2011 remake of Footloose, Dolemite Is My Name, and Coming 2 America. In recent years, Brewer ventured into writing and directing narrative features, the latest being the adaptation of the documentary Song Sung Blue. Brewer's unending passion and talent in filmmaking continue to contribute significantly to the movie industry.