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Shirikiana Aina

  • Shirikiana Aina
© courtesy MUBI
Film director, Sound engineer, Actor, Producer, Screenwriter, Director of photography (d.o.p.), Editor
Principal country concerned : Column : Cinema/tv

American film producer, screenwriter, film director, editor, director of photography, sound designer and actress.

She is sometimes credited as
Shirikiana Gerima


Shirikiana AINA (Shirikiana Aina) is a PRODUCER, SCREENWRITER, DIRECTOR, EDITOR, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, SOUND ENGINEER and ACTRESS.

She is known for FOOTPRINTS OF PAN AFRICANISM (2017), THROUGH THE DOOR OF NO RETURN (1997), BRICK BY BRICK (1982), SANKOFA (1993, directed by Haile Gerima).
As actress, she played "Tonya" (as Shirikiana Gerima) in RESIDUE (2020, directed by Merawi Gerima, her son).

Shirikiana Aina was born on September 9, 1955 in the USA. She is an independent filmmaker in Washington, DC where she resides with family. She has taught film at Howard University and in addition to filmmaking is currently owner of Sankofa Video and Bookstore. She is co-producer of the movie SANKOFA, TEZA, and ADWA. She is director of BRICK BY BRICK (1982), a documentary on housing and displacement in Washington, DC in the 1970's; THROUGH THE DOOR OF NO RETURN (1997), a personal journey as filmmaker attempts to bridge a 400 year gap between herself and the African Continent. She has BA degree from Howard University and MA from UCLA.

Her awards include:
Grand Prize, Documentary, Luxor Film Festival
Berlin Film Festival, Sankofa
Juror's Discretionary Award in Film, Three Rivers Arts Festival
Black American Cinema Society
Honoree, Women in the Director's Chair, AFI Awards
Community Choice Award, National Black Media Consortium, Prized Pieces

Aina is a mother of six. She and her husband Haile Gerima own Negod Gwad Productions (established in 1982) that produces their films, and Mypheduh Films (est. in 1982) that distributes them.

FILMOGRAPHY

2017 | FOOTPRINTS OF PAN AFRICANISM
* Producer
* Director
* Screenwriter

1997 | THROUGH THE DOOR OF NO RETURN
* Producer
* Director
* Screenwriter

1993 | SANKOFA (director: Haile Gerima)
* Producer

1991 | THOMAS SANKARA, L'ESPOIR ASSASSINÉ (director: Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda)
* Director of Photography

1982 | ASHES AND EMBERS (director: Haile Gerima)
* Sound designer

1982 | BRICK BY BRICK
* Producer
* Director
* Screenwriter
* Editor

Source:
www.dclibrary.org/node/68062
www.imdb.com/name/nm0014664/
https://mubi.com/fr/cast/shirikiana-aina
Updated by Thierno Dia, on 21 Sept 2021.

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Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Guerrilla Arts
  • HOT
  • Bayimba
  • Uganda Women Writers Association
  • Arts 256
  • 32º East
  • Amakula Festival

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