Weaam Williams bags fourth international award for ‘Two Hues’

Co-director and lead actress of the Cape Town short film Two Hues, Weaam Williams won the Best Lead Actress in a Short Film award at the West Europe International Film Festival, Brussels Edition which was held virtually on Saturday 21 August.

FOURTH WIN FOR ‘TWO HUES’

The proof of concept short-film Two Hues, produced by Tribal Alchemy Productions received its fourth international prize since its release on the international festival circuit in January 2021. Two Hues also picked up the Best Short Film award at the Beyond the International Curve Film Festival in Paris in January, Best Director at the North Europe International Film Festival held in London in April and the Best Women Empowerment Film at the Berlin Short Film Festival in July.

The film screened online this women’s month from 16-20 August in competition at the West Europe International Film Festival, Brussels Edition, and was awarded at the virtual ceremony hosted on Saturday 21 August.  

The West Europe International Film Festival is one of four annual festivals presented by Fusion International Film Festivals, with UK Directors Dan Hickford and Steve Grossmith at the helm.  

WEAAM WILLIAMS WINS ‘BEST LEAD ACTRESS’

The festival champions independent cinema and has a BAFTA Juror on their Jury. Weaam Williams is the writer, co-director and lead actress in Two Hues, a short film about a bipolar woman facing post traumatic stress and how she navigates the patriarchy in her family and the workplace.  

The film has been well received and to date has been selected in 10 festival official selections from around the world, including Turkey, India, France and the UK. It has received six nominations and four awards.  

Weaam Williams studied drama at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and with the Cape Town Theatre Lab. She has a passion for performance as a poet, hip-hop MC and in the live-art theatre space.

“Women are always quite sexualised in front of the camera, and I knew that the first role I play on screen would be one I wrote myself which did not have these expectations. This does not mean I am not open to acting in someone else’s film, it just needs to respect my  boundaries,” said Williams.

“I am truly honoured for this recognition and was encouraged by my husband, Director of Photography (DOP) Nafia  Kocks to play the part as deep inside it is what I really wanted to do. There was great  support from my friends and support cast – Khalil Kathrada and Abdu Adams, both  seasoned actors offered words of encouragement and of course co-director Dominique Jossie assisted hugely with getting into character,” she continued.

Two Hues is currently being developed into a feature film with Williams as both the writer and lead actress in the feature.

“I really enjoyed acting, it took a lot out of me, and I guess the many years of directing has assisted me to know and understand how to  communicate believably with the camera. At the end of the day it is about convincing  audiences about the reality presented,” said Williams.

The film features supporting cast Abidah Dixon Mohammed, Adu Adams, Khalil Kathrada,  Danielle Comley and Emil van Niekerk. Many women worked behind the scenes in the making of this feminist short film including, assistant director Maxine Ajak and Head of the Art Department Tiffany Adams Matthews. 

“The many women on set were very supportive and made me feel comfortable and safe,”  says Williams.

“It is unusual for Muslim women in South Africa to pursue acting, there are very few. Our film culture is not like the Middle Eastern one which has strong Islamic cultural overtones. Our film industry is different. However, I believe there is a demand for this kind of work as it is a window into a different culture, language, and geography, yet is culturally identifiable with so many countries and  appealing to women across the world,” she added.

ALSO READ: ‘Expect the Unexpected’: Three things to ‘expect’ from Zinhle’s reality show