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 Film Festival (2018). Hawa's first feature film, ''
Soul Boy
''Soul Boy'' is a 2010 Kenyan drama film, written by Billy Kahora and directed by Hawa Essuman. It developed under the mentorship of German director and producer Tom Tykwer in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the African continent, in the middl ...
'' (2010), also received a series of awards.
In addition, Hawa has produced a range of TV programmes, commercial films, music videos and adverts.
Biography
Born in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany, on 23 January 1980, she is the daughter of Ghanaian parents who brought her up in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, Kenya.
[ 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''.][
With the encouragement and assistance of ]Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films ''Run Lola Run'' (1998), ''Heaven (2002 film), Heaven'' (2002), ''Perfume: The St ...
, she directed ''Soul Boy'' (2010). Based on a story by Billy Kahora
Billy Kahora is a Kenyan writer and editor based in Nairobi. He was commended by the 2007 Caine Prize judges for his story ''Treadmill Love''. His stories ''Urban Zoning'' and ''Gorilla’s Apprentice'' were shortlisted for the prize in 2012 a ...
, it originated at a workshop organized by the German association One Fine Day. Presented at over 40 film festivals around the world, it won a number of awards.[
]
Awards
Essuman's 'Silas' has won the following awards:
*Documentary audience award 2018 - Riverrun Film Festival
*Best Documentary and Best International Film 2018 - Zanzibar International Film Festival
*Documentary Audience Award 2018 - Afrika film festival Köln, Germany
*Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award 2018 - Durban International Film Festival
*Green Warsaw Award 2018 - Warsaw Film Festival
*William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award 2018 - Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital: Washington -
*Best documentary feature 2018 Footcandle Film Festival
Essuman's ''Soul Boy'' has won the following awards:
*Dioraphte Audience Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
*Veto Award, Afrika-Filmfestival, Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
, Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
*Signis Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
*Polish Filmmakers Association Award, Ale Kino!, Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
*Best Short Film, Kalasha Awards, Nairobi, KenyaParis
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
*The Young Jury Prize, FESTIVAL CINÉ JUNIOR (International Film Festival for Young people), Paris, France
*Spiritual Film Festival Award, Paris
*Best Children's Film Award at the Film Festival Recklinghausen (Germany) 2011
*Best Editor: Ephantus Ng'ethe Gitungo, African Movie Academy AwardsBest Editor, African Movie Academy Awards
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essuman, Hawa
1980 births
German emigrants to Kenya
People from Nairobi
Kenyan stage actresses
Kenyan film directors
Kenyan women film directors
Living people