The G.I.A. Fund is more than just a scholarship fund for artists and innovators. We are a community, a collective, a powerhouse supporting one another in the quest for greatness. Explore our artist spotlight and upcoming events and opportunities below.
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Sakile Camara is an actor, educator, director, producer and writer who graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Soon after graduation, she performed at The Kennedy Center numerous times, as well as Arena Stage and other prominent theatres in the DC area. A few of the shows she has been a part of have won and been nominated for Helen Hayes Awards. She has also worked on various projects as a Voice Actor for Graphic Audio, where she has worked on many graphic novels, including Black Panther where she portrayed Black Panther’s sister Shuri. She has had roles on TV in shows on NBC, Showtime and Comedy Central. She has been teaching for almost 15 years at various studios and universities in New York City, including NYU Tisch School of The Arts and her own studio called Sakile Actor’s Studio, which provides scholarships to actors from marginalized communities. As an actor, she has trained in the city with teachers such as Ted Wold, Christopher Bayes, Midori Nakamura, Heidi Marshall, Fay Simpson and more. She has also worked with directors Phylicia Rashad, Aaron Posner and Onur Tukel and has acted alongside Awkwafina, Natasha Lyonne and Anika Noni Rose. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA. Also, you can find her Acting studio website here: https://www.sakilecamara.com/sas
Kamau Mitchell has trained at Howard University, The British American Drama Academy at The University of Oxford, Maggie Flanigan Studio and Heidi Marshall Studio. He has acted at prestigious theatres in Washington, DC including Arena Stage and Shakespeare Theatre Company. He has had multiple lead roles in films, theatre and national commercial campaigns. One of his films was officially selected for four film festivals and won Fan Favorite BEST SHORT FILM Hysteria Fest & BEST MICRO SHORT Horror Fest. He has also won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble (Peter and the Starcatcher) and the National Capital Area Cappies Award – Best Comic Actor in a Play (The Foreigner). He has acted alongside Michael Urie in Hamlet at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and worked with reputable directors including Michael Kahn, Tazewell Thompson and Kathy Fusco. He also enjoys making people laugh, nature and skipping rocks.
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