GreenLight Women Film Completion Grant Winner Announced

Tchaiko Omawale’s Film “Solace” Becomes The First Film Grant Awarded in 2019

Los Angeles, California… GreenLight Women, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizaGon which supports women 40 and over, has awarded its first film grant at a champagne brunch honoring director Kasi Lemmons and Black History Month at the London Hotel In West Hollywood on Sunday, February 17. The grant honors women who have devoted their talents and energy to creaGng excepGonal film.

Writer/director/producer Tchaiko Omawale is the winner of GreenLight Women’s first Film CompleGon Grant for her film “Solace.” Co-producer Sascha Brown Rice will a[end the event and Ivy Kagan Bierman, President of GreenLight Women, is presenGng the award to Omawale .

“Solace” is the moving and ar^ul portrait of a smart, driven, and self-destrucGve teenage orphan struggling to find her place. Tchaiko Omawale is a fresh filmmaking voice whose unique storytelling style, one that is both visual and emoGonal, along with her sure-handed direcGng, provides a rare combinaGon in a first feature. Led by Hope Olaide Wilson’s hear^elt performance and brave turn as Sole, “Solace” is a unique coming-of-age story, which takes on the claustrophobic isolaGon of mental health issues with empathy and artistry.

Founded in 2018, The GreenLight Women Film CompleGon Grant awards financial gia aid, support and encouragement to female filmmakers who demonstrate significant arGsGc talent in the visual arts and industry-related fields and who display innovaGve skills and a level of excellence, in order to complete their films by, for or about women.

“We are thrilled to award this grant to such a deserving filmmaker. We look forward to seeing more exciGng and though^ul work from this promising talent,” says Marion Rosenberg, O.B.E., and Chair of GreenLight Women. The GreenLight Grants AcGon Group presents the GreenLight Grant to selected recipients aaer careful consideraGon and review.

Writer/director/producer Tchaiko Omawale grew up in seven countries while her father worked for UNICEF. She graduated from Columbia University, then interned for Spike Lee and Mira Nair. While assisGng directors George C. Wolfe and Tom Vaughan she directed several short form projects. Tchaiko was awarded the Gaea Sea Change Residency for arGsts working for social change. Her feature film “Solace” was a Semi-Finalist for the Sundance Writers Lab 2012; it received the Panavision New Filmmakers Program Award 2015; in 2016 the project parGcipated in Tribeca All Access, the IFP NarraGve Lab, the CreaGve Visions CreaGve AcGvist Program and Big Vision Empty Wallet diversity program. In 2017 it was a Women In Film grantee and a Film Independent Efilm/Company 3 grant winner. “Solace” premiered at the LA Film FesGval 2018, winning Special Jury MenGon Best Ensemble Cast. It is currently on the fesGval circuit and won the New Orleans Film FesGval Audience Award. Tchaiko was a 2017 School of Making Thinking Resident fellow where she created the VR film “Shapeshiaers”. In between her independent projects she produces and directs commercials and branded content. You can see her work here: www.tchaiko.com