
African Giants
LightReel Film Fest 2024
U.S. | 2023 | 107 min | DC Premiere
African Giants
DIRECTOR
Omar S. Kamara
PRODUCERS
Leo Blumberg-Woll, Omar S. Kamara, Jordan Tyner
SCREENWRITER
Omar S. Kamara
CAST
Dillon Daniel Mutyaba, Omete Anassi, Tanyell Waivers, Kathleen Kenny, Scott Bender
RUN TIME
107 Minutes
Over a weekend visit in Los Angeles, two first-generation Sierra Leonean American brothers – one an aspiring actor and the other a second-year law student – navigate the changing dynamics of brotherhood and their contrasting views on their heritage after one gives the other a surprise announcement. Raw, vulnerable, honest, and an award winner from Slamdance, AFRICAN GIANTS delves into the depths of their shared history, unveiling untold truths and unresolved emotions.
NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE VIRTUAL FESTIVAL.
Omar S. Kamara
Director, African Giants
Writer/Director Omar S. Kamara is a first-generation Sierra Leonean American, Virginia native, and graduate of the College of William and Mary and AFI. His debut feature film, AFRICAN GIANTS, which he independently wrote, directed, and produced, will have its World Premiere at Slamdance Film Festival in 2024.
In addition to winning the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award at AFI, he was selected as an inaugural Resident for the Rideback Rise BIPOC Content Accelerator as well as a filmmaker for the Rising Voices Program, a collaboration between Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad and Indeed, to write and direct a short that will premiere at Tribeca in 2024.
His previous short film, MASS AVE, won the Grand Prize at the DGA Student Film Awards, was named a Finalist in HBO's Short Film Competition at ABFF, and was nominated for the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. The film was licensed by HBO and is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Kamara's films touch on his first-generation experiences and strive to highlight and honor the African Diaspora.