Sowande Tichawonna

Sowande Tichawonna is an award-winning, independent filmmaker and actor from Washington, D.C. who got his start as a production assistant for the PBS series In Other Words with Ossie and Ruby, produced by acclaimed actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. As a member of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers based in New York, Tichawonna co-founded the AIVF-DC salon where he served as chair of the organization from 1994 to 2000. The salon hosted monthly workshops and screenings that covered all aspects of the film and television industry. His credits include executive producer and director of photography for the documentary Straight Up Go-Go (1992), which received critical acclaim and garnered an impressive second place in the Nielsen ratings for its time slot during its television debut in the D.C. market and writer/producer/director of the short film Talkin' Shop (2000) for which he won the 2000 Mayor's Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist. The Mayor's Arts Award is the highest honor the city of Washington, DC confers on artists. Tichawonna won the 2010 Larry Neal Writer's Award for his screenplay, The New "N" Word. Tichawonna also produced, directed and edited the short film, The New "N" Word starring Erik Todd Dellums, Rain Pryor and James "JJ" Johnson. In addition, The New "N" Word received a 2011 Best Diaspora Short Film nomination by the African Movie Academy. In March 2011, Tichawonna traveled to Africa to attend the African Movie Academy Awards (Africa's equivalent to the Oscars) in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The New "N" Word is now a YouTube web series that has viewership in over 25 countries spanning 5 continents. As an actor, Tichawonna's credits include a starring role in the stage play, For The Love Oscar. He has also appeared in the Netflix hit TV series, House of Cards, the HBO series, Veep and the ID series, Who The Bleep Did I Marry?. His film credits include Too Saved and Nocturnal Agony. He is in development on CAPCO, a TV sitcom set in his hometown of Washington, DC and is co-producer of the forthcoming documentary series, The American LOWS.