By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT
Multi-talented Gambian Actress, Mariama Colley beat nominees, Jennifer Lim and Cecile Sinclair to win the Long Story Shorts International Film Festival’s Best Actress Award in Romania. An elated Mariama announced her victory on social media this morning [22nd February 2021] as “another win for all the wonderful cast and crew of MÉBÉT and the Gambian Film Industry.”
When Gainako contacted her to find out how it felt to win such an award in Europe she said “it feels great to be recognized on an international platform. Really grateful and humble.”
Besides being a professional actress on film, Mariama is also a theatre actress and doubles up as a mentorship radio host and an activist. She even owns her own company called Studio 411 which contributed to the award-winning film, “MÉBÉT”.
In “MÉBÉT”, which translates to “A Mother’s Plea”, Mariama plays the part of a young girl who’s education was cut short after being forced into an early marriage.
“MÉBÉT is a short film about child marriage and its effect on society. It was produced by RebelVZN and they collaborated with STS pictures, Image Sound and my company Studio 411 which handled production management” she explained.
Speaking about her acting career, she told Gainako how she “acted on 3 award-winning films, and performed on over 10 stage plays at the Ebunjan Theater which” she is part of.
Handing out some generous words of advice for aspiring actresses she says “keep your head up and believe in yourself. Learn to develop your talent and skills, take every learning opportunity that comes your way, have discipline in your craft. Be patience don’t rush your success.”
Watch the Official Trailer of MÉBÉT (A Mother’s Plea)
