Hawa Essuman
Film Director

Y'akoto "Without You"

Credits
Artist: Y’akoto
Director: Hawa Essuman
DoP: Sylvestre Dedise
Stylist: Tom Wagner
Art Director: Julien Finck
Editor: Ng’ethe Gitungo
Release date: 23rd Jun 2012
Y'akoto "Tamba"

Credits
Artist: Y’akoto
Director: Hawa Essuman
DoP: Sylvestre Dedise
Stylist: Tom Wagner
Editor: Julien Finck
Release date: 23rd Jun 2012
Y'akoto "Diamonds"

Credits
Artist: Y’akoto
Director: Hawa Essuman
DoP: Steve Kibunja
Stylist: Tom Wagner & Rachel Mutindi
Art Director: Barbara Minishi
Editor: Ng’ethe Gitungo
Release date: 21st Feb 2012
Soul Boy

Credits
Director: Hawa Essuman
Writer: Billy Kahora
DoP: Christian Almesberger
Editor: Ng’ethe Gitungo
Release date: Jan 2010
About Hawa Essuman

I loved stories from a young age. That and my fascination with pictures lead me to filmmaking, which I’ve been lucky to nurture into a fulltime fortunate indulgence. I performed in and worked on several theatre plays and a couple of films before I made my way into the world of production and then, eventually behind the camera.

Working on TV commercials and documentaries provided my production experience before working as part of the directing team on a local TV drama series, ‘Makutano Junction’. In 2008 I wrote and directed my first film ‘Selfish?’ and then 3 short films over the next year – ‘the Lift’, ‘Cold War’ and ‘Coming Out’.

My film ‘Soul Boy’ (2010) is my most recently completed film which as screened at over 40 film festival around the world and won some awards as a result, the dioraphte audience award at the International Film Rotterdam 2010, the Signis Award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and Best East African Film at Kenya International Film Festival 2010 being among them.

Since then I’ve been explored music videos and developing a few projects one of them being a feature fiction film set at the Kenya Coast.