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Hawa Essuman

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Hawa Essuman
Born23 January 1980
Hamburg, Germany
NationalityGhanaian-German
CitizenshipKenyan
Occupations
  • film director
  • producer
Years active2008 - Present
Known forSilas, Soul Boy
AwardsAmnesty International Durban Human Rights Award (2018) and the Audience Award for best documentary at the Riverrun Film Festival (2018).

Hawa Essuman (born 1980) is a film director based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her 2017 feature-length documentary Silas, co-directed with Anjali Neyar, tells the story of Liberian environmental activist Silas Siakor's fight to preserve the country's rainforests from commercial logging. The film won multiple awards, including the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award (2018) and the Audience Award for best documentary at the RiverRun International Film Festival (2018). Hawa's first feature film, Soul Boy (2010), also received a series of awards.[1][2] In addition, Hawa has produced a range of TV programmes, commercial films, music videos and adverts.

Biography

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Born in Hamburg, Germany, on 23 January 1980, she is the daughter of Ghanaian parents who brought her up in Nairobi, Kenya.[3][1] After several appearances in the theatre, she moved into production work, first on television commercials and documentaries, then on a local drama series, Makutano Junction. She created and directed Selfish? in 2008, followed by three short films in 2008, The Lift, Cold War and Coming Out.[2]

With the encouragement and assistance of Tom Tykwer, she directed Soul Boy (2010). Based on a story by Billy Kahora, it originated at a workshop organized by the German association One Fine Day.[4] Presented at over 40 film festivals around the world, it won a number of awards.[2]

Awards

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Essuman's Silas has won the following awards:

Essuman's Soul Boy has won the following awards:

  • Veto Award - Afrika Filmfestival Leuven, Belgium
  • Signis Award - Zanzibar International Film Festival[9]
  • Polish Filmmakers Association Award - Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival, Poznań, Poland
  • Best Short Film - Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[10]
  • Best Lead Actor: Samson Odhiambo - Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[10]
  • Best Scriptwriter: Billy Kahora - Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, Kenya[10]
  • Best Actor: Samson Odhiambo - Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya[11]
  • Best East African Film - Kenya International Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya[12]
  • Special Mention "Passeurs d’images" prize - Festival Ciné Junior (Ciné Junior film festival for Kids), Paris, France
  • The Young Jury Prize - Festival Ciné Junior, Paris, France
  • Best Fiction Award 2011 - European Spiritual Film Festival, Paris, France
  • Best Children's Film Award 2011 - Kirchliches Filmfestival Recklinghausen (de), Germany[13]
  • Best Editor: Ephantus Ng'ethe Gitungo - Africa Movie Academy Awards[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hawa Essuman" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "About the director". African Film Festival New York. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Liff awards 2011" (PDF). limbo7.com. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Hawa Essuman and the Soul Boy Project". African Women in Cinema Blog. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Silas". Riverrun Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  6. ^ "ZIFF 2018 - OFFICIAL SELECTION". Zanzibar International Film Festival.
  7. ^ "Warszawski Festiwal Filmowy".
  8. ^ "Silas (William W. Warner Award Winner)". Environmental Film Festival.
  9. ^ "2010 Winners. Signis Award". ziff.or.tz. Zanzibar International Film Festival. 2010-08-25. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Kalasha 2010 Winners". www.kalashaawards.co.ke. Archived from the original on 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
  11. ^ Kenya International Film Festival: Best Actor[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Kenya International Film Festival: Best East African Film[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Programm 2011". www.kirchliches-filmfestival.de (in German). Kirchliches Filmfestival Recklinghausen. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2024-01-30.. No mention of the prize here.
  14. ^ Best Editor, African Movie Academy Awards Archived 2011-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
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