Najaa Young

Najaa was born in Cleveland, Ohio but attended high school and college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though Najaa grew up with a deep appreciation of the arts (her mother is a popular cultural artist in the region) it was while attending Chatham College that she discovered her love for directing. In 1995 she graduated from Chatham College with a BA in Theatre Arts. Najaa worked as an arts educator for many years teaching drama, various forms of dance, and creative writing to both children and adults in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. She also worked for many years as a successful arts administrator but she never stopped writing, directing and choreographing her own productions. In 2002 she was accepted into Florida State University's Graduate Conservatory of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts. It was while attending Florida State University that Najaa received the opportunity to direct the critically acclaimed actress Tyra Ferrell in her thesis film, Coochie, which screened at numerous film festivals worldwide. In 2004 Najaa received her MFA in Film Production from Florida State University. Presently, Najaa is co-owner of NaRa Films, LLC. Established in 2009, by Najaa Young and Rasheed Jihad, NaRa Films is an independent film company specializing in both documentary and narrative films that tackle issues from a unique perspective not often explored in popular culture.