Magaajyia Silberfeld

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Magaajyia Silberfeld
Silberfeld in 2019
Born (1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 27)
Paris, France
Occupation(s)Film director, actress

Sarah Magaajyia Silberfeld (born 30 August 1996) is a French actress and film director.

Biography[edit]

Silberfeld is the daughter of film director Rahmatou Keïta and French journalist Antoine Silber.[1] She began acting at the local theater at the age of 11. Silberfeld grew up in France but travelled frequently to Greece, Niger, and Mali, and lived in Los Angeles for three years.[2] She made her film debut in 2011, in La Lisière.[3] Silberfeld studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in 2013, at Playhouse West Repertory Theater in 2014 and at Susan Batson Studio in 2015.[4][5] At the age of 18, she wrote and directed her first short film, Me There and co-directed Ride or Die featuring Piper de Palma and Roxane Depardieu.[6]

In 2016, Silberfeld had her first leading role in The Wedding Ring, directed by her mother and financed entirely through African funds. She played Tiyaa, a young woman who goes to study in France and falls in love with a man from a prestigious background.[2] The film became the first Nigerien film to be played at the Academy Awards.[7] In 2017, she directed her short film Vagabonds, starring Danny Glover.[2] The same year, Silberfeld obtained a philosophy degree from the Sorbonne.[8] During college, she learned English through watching American films.[2]

She served as a curator during the 2019 Fribourg International Film Festival and sponsored the Charter for Equality and Diversity.[9] Silberfeld presented her mother's documentary Al’lèèssi... Une actrice africaine (2004), a portrait of the Nigerien actress Zalika Souley.[1]

In 2021, she says she takes her cue from Doris Payne, a comfortable and elegant 90-year-old African-American diamond thief with Native American blood.[10]

Filmography[edit]

  • 2011: La Lisière (actress)
  • 2014: Me There (short film, co-writer/director)
  • 2015: Ride or Die (short film, co-director)
  • 2016: The Wedding Ring (actress)
  • 2017: Vagabonds (short film, writer/director)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Arnaud, Megan (18 March 2019). "Le fardeau de la couleur de peau". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Movia, Léa (26 January 2017). "Interview de Magaajyia Silberfeld, réalisatrice et actrice". Les Petits Frenchies (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Magaajyia Silberfeld". Africultures (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Comédiennes - Magaajyia Silberfeld". FilmTalents.com (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. ^ Martin, Marie-Claude (18 March 2019). "Le FIFF offre une carte blanche à 16 actrices noires et métisses". RTS (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Magaajyia Silberfeld". African Film Festival. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  7. ^ Faivre, Agnès (12 April 2018). "Cinéma - Oscars 2019 : « Zin'naariyâ ! » de Rahmatou Keïta dans la course". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  8. ^ Karolle, Vane (3 April 2017). "Radar - Magaajyia Silberfeld". Globetrotter Magazine. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  9. ^ "LE FIFF s'engage pour la parité". Fribourg International Film Festival (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  10. ^ Paul Tommasi (7 April 2021). "" J'aimerais qu'on en arrive un jour à ne plus regarder les couleurs de peau "". Dièses. Retrieved 2 November 2021.

External links[edit]