Martine Syms–who wrote and directed The African Desperate, which was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards–has joined the roster of production house Imperial Woodpecker for representation in the U.S. This marks her first formal commercial representation.
The African Desperate–distributed by Mubi and the closing night film of New Directors/New Films–is one of three features Syms has written and directed, the others being The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto and Incense Sweaters & Ice.
Syms’ shorter form credits include commercial work for Nike and Prada. She just shot a commercial campaign for Louis Vuitton.
Syms has also made her mark on the art gallery circuit with solo exhibitions at such venues as the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Tate Museum.
She is a recipient of the Herb Alpert Award, the Creative Capital Award a United States Artists fellowship, the Tiffany Foundation award, the Future Fields Art Prize and is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow.