Arkasha Stevenson

{{Infobox person

| occupation = Filmmaker

| alma_mater = The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill{{Cite web |last=McCormack|first=Josh|date=2024-07-12|title=Photojournalism alumna conjures new horror film|url=https://www.unc.edu/posts/2024/07/10/photojournalism-alumna-conjures-new-horror-film/|access-date=2024-04-02 |website=The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill}}

}}

Arkasha Stevenson is an American filmmaker and former journalist. She has directed episodes of Legion and Briarpatch, as well as the third season of Channel Zero. She made her feature directorial debut with the 2024 horror film The First Omen, prequel of The Omen.

Career

Prior to working in entertainment, Stevenson worked as a photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times.{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=2022-05-10 |title='The Omen' Prequel 'The First Omen' Sets Arkasha Stevenson As Director For 20th Century Studios Movie |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/the-omen-prequel-the-first-omen-sets-arkasha-stevenson-as-director-for-20th-century-studios-movie-1235020725/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511012411/https://deadline.com/2022/05/the-omen-prequel-the-first-omen-sets-arkasha-stevenson-as-director-for-20th-century-studios-movie-1235020725// |url-status=live }}

In 2015, Stevenson won the Iris Prize for her thesis film Vessels, which is about black market breast enhancements in the transgender community.{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Nicole |date=2018-06-11 |title=The Horrific Black Market Medical Procedures Trans Women Turn To |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bj3pk8/the-horrific-black-market-medical-procedures-trans-women-turn-to |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Vice |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306145055/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bj3pk8/the-horrific-black-market-medical-procedures-trans-women-turn-to |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Abaroa |first=Patricia |date=2022-05-11 |title=Arkasha Stevenson to Direct 20th Century Studios' The Omen Prequel The First Omen |url=https://movieweb.com/arkasha-stevenson-20th-century-studios-prequel-first-omen/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=MovieWeb |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515163414/https://movieweb.com/arkasha-stevenson-20th-century-studios-prequel-first-omen/ |url-status=live }} She and her writing partner Tim Smith first worked together on Pineapple, a short film which debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2018, Stevenson directed the third season of the Syfy horror series Channel Zero.{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2019-11-16 |title='Brand New Cherry Flavor' Series Headlined By Rosa Salazar A Go At Netflix; Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Jeff Ward & Manny Jacinto Co-Star In Horror Adaptation |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/brand-new-cherry-flavor-series-netflix-rosa-salazar-star-catherine-keener-eric-lange-jeff-ward-manny-jacinto-co-star-horror-adaptation-todd-grimson-1202787381/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116095414/https://deadline.com/2019/11/brand-new-cherry-flavor-series-netflix-rosa-salazar-star-catherine-keener-eric-lange-jeff-ward-manny-jacinto-co-star-horror-adaptation-todd-grimson-1202787381/ |url-status=live }} In 2021, she directed the first episode of the Netflix horror series Brand New Cherry Flavor, which Smith co-produced.

In May 2022, Stevenson was announced as the director of the 2024 horror film The First Omen, a prequel to The Omen (1976). She and Smith also did the rewrite.