Omar S. Kamara

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, won the Audience Award at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival and was picked up for worldwide distribution by Juno Films, which is planning a theatrical release this summer and a multi-platform digital release this coming winter.

In addition to winning the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award at AFI, Kamara 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.