OMAR KAMARA
2021 Minority Report Fellow
American Film Institute
Website
MASS AVE
Logline: On the final day to accept his offer into a prestigious art school, a first-generation Sierra Leonean American struggles to tell his traditional immigrant father that he will not be attending medical school in pursuit of his passion.
Writer/Director Omar S. Kamara is a first-generation Sierra Leonean American, Virginia native, and graduate of AFI. His thesis film, MASS AVE, won the Grand Prize at the Director’s Guild of America 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 HBO Max and subsequently premiered on all their platforms in early 2022. Kamara’s films have been an official selection in numerous Oscar-Qualifying festivals including Cleveland International, Rhode Island, St. Louis, and HollyShorts in addition to winning the Silver Screen at the Cannes Lions Young Director Award, among others. The feature screenplay of MASS AVE was named a Winner in Austin Film Festival's Pitch Competition and a Finalist in ScreenCraft's Screenwriting Fellowship. Kamara aspires to make films that touch on his first generation experiences and highlight and honor the African Diaspora.