Artist

Thymaya Payne

Via Los Angeles, CA, USA

A University of Chicago and AFI graduate born in New York and currently residing in Los Angeles, Thymaya Payne has directed a number of films including the short films “Apparent Horizon” (starring Peter Coyote), “Let’s Not and Say We Did,” and “Coup De Grace,” which premiered at the HBO Latino Film festival. In the summer of 2010 he completed his documentary film Love Limits, which was later released by Icarus films.

In 2008 Payne began a four-year journey to direct and produce an in-depth documentary about Somali piracy and its root causes called Stolen Seas. The film premiered at the Locarno Film festival and was awarded the Boccolino' D'oro. Later, at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Stolen Seas won the John Schlesinger award for Best Documentary. “A dangerous 90-minute immersion in a world where lawlessness applies to all sides" said Variety. The New York Times called Stolen Seas “Magnificent.” The documentary was theatrically released in early 2013.

Photo copyright Aron Stern.