From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Tanya Hamilton (born in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother. She attended attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and Columbia University. Hamilton's first project was a short film entitled "The Killers", which was released in 1997. This work won awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and New Line Cinema. Her first feature film was Night Catches Us, a portrayal of former Black Panthers reuniting in 1976 Philadelphia. In 2011 Hamilton received a Black Reel Award nomination for best director for this film. Hamilton is currently a Fellow at the Sundance Screenwriter and Filmmaker Lab. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tanya Hamilton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.