Hailed by Musical Notes Global (New York) as “a true Renaissance woman” Aminah Hughes has won local and international awards as a musician, producer, screenwriter, director and photographer.
Raised in Western Australia, she spent several years as a DJ and four years as a film reviewer on RTR.FM public radio before training in directing at Curtin University’s film school. While living in Sydney, she worked on several US and Australian productions as an Assistant Director (most notably, Warner Bros. production, Superman Returns, and Rowan Woods’ ABC telemovie, 3 Acts of Murder) and served on the Executive Committee of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW and as the NSW Representative on the International Board of Directors of WIFT International.
After several years working on feature, television, short, music video, corporate and TVC productions, Aminah headed to Europe for seven years to explore life as a musician and photographer. She appeared on eleven albums in Australia and Europe as a songwriter, vocalist, flautist and producer, before producing her debut solo album, Blue Wooden Boat, recording in Ireland, USA, Australia and Germany. She has recorded vocals on various productions, including Australia’s Who Do You Think You Are?, feature documentary, Dying to Live and highly anticipated game, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock, based on the popular NBCUniversal Television Series.
Her photography appears on the covers and/or sleeves of four LP’s in Ireland and the UK. In 2015 she produced the Sligo Musicians Calendar, and was the official photographer for the Sligo chapter of the Yes! Equality campaign to legalise gay marriage in Ireland.
When she returned to Australia, Aminah resumed working in TV but what she really wanted to do was direct. In 2018 she turned her attention to screenwriting, quickly gaining recognition and winning the ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest in LA. Her screenplay THE RUBICON, praised as “sophisticated and nuanced,” with its combination of artistic mediums cited as “a master stroke that merits special mention,” went to on earn her a number of accolades including Semi-Finalist status at the prestigious Austin Film Festival and Cinequest in LA.
In 2019 Aminah took the reins as director and producer, establishing Sky Woman Productions. Her music videos have premiered in New York, Nashville and Melbourne, with her debut project winning Best Video at Revelation: Perth International Film Festival, her second earning her a Best Director award at the Independent Music Awards in New York. They have gone on to screen in at festivals in Berlin, Prague, New York, Tokyo, Toronto, Manchester and Melbourne.
With short film SOLACE in post-production, amid a recent relocation to Los Angeles, Aminah continues to develop her first feature screenplay, THE INSIDE OF A SHELL. In November 2020 she was accepted as a full member of the Australian Directors Guild.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN FILMMAKING
TELL ME IT’S OVER by Aminah Hughes (music video) 2020 – as writer/director/producer
Official Selection – Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – New York Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020
Exclusive Premiere – American Songwriter Magazine (Nashville) 2020
I NEED TO LEARN by Aminah Hughes (music video) 2019 – as writer/director/producer
WINNER Best Director of Short Form Music Video, Vox Pop Award – Independent Music Awards (New York) 2020
Official Selection – Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – New York Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – European Cinefest Golden Nika (Prague) 2021
Official Selection – Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020
Official Selection – Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2019
Official Selection – WAMFest Mini Music Video Festival 2019
Exclusive Premiere – Musical Notes Global (New York) 2019
NAF NAF by Steve Hensby Band (music video) 2019 – as writer/director/producer
WINNER Best Video – Revelation: Perth International Film Festival 2019
Official Selection – WAMFest Mini Music Video Festival 2019
BLUE WOODEN BOAT by Aminah Hughes (music video) 2018 – as writer/producer
SEMI-FINALIST Best Music Video – International Songwriting Competition Music Video Category (Nashville) 2018
Official Selection – Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – New York Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
Official Selection – Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020
Official Selection – WA Unlocked Film Festival 2019
Exclusive Premiere – Scenestr (Melbourne) 2018
ACHIEVEMENTS IN WRITING FOR SCREEN
THE INSIDE OF A SHELL (feature screenplay)
QUARTER-FINALIST – The Script Lab Free Screenplay Contest (LA) 2021
THE LOUNGE WITH AMINAH HUGHES (non-fiction vodcast)
#5 Other Podcasts of the Year – The Red List 2021
#5 Other Podcasts of the Month – The Red List January 2021
QUARTER-FINALIST – ScreenCraft Podcast Writing Competition (LA) 2020-2021
THE YARD (short screenplay)
Top 6% of all 7,893 short projects on Coverfly (May 2021)
Top 11% of all 52,005 projects on Coverfly (May 2021)
FINALIST – California Women’s Film Festival 2020
SEMI-FINALIST – ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest (LA) 2020
SEMI-FINALIST – Filmmatic Short Screenplay Awards (LA) 2020
THE RUBICON (short screenplay)
Top 1% of all 7,893 short projects on Coverfly (May 2021)
Top 2% of all 52,005 projects on Coverfly (May 2021)
#13 Drama Short of All-Time – The Red List (April 2021)
#12 Drama Shorts of the Year – The Red List 2019
#10 – Drama Shorts of the Month – The Red List November 2019
WINNER – Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2021
WINNER – Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020
WINNER – ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest (LA) 2018
WINNER – Filmmatic Short Screenplay Awards (LA) 2019
SEMI-FINALIST – Austin Film Festival Short Screenplay Competition 2019
SEMI-FINALIST – Cinequest Screenwriting Competition (LA) 2020
FINALIST – Katra Film Series (New York) 2019
FINALIST – Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards 2019
FINALIST – Hollywood Screenplay Contest 2019
Official Selection – Florence Film Awards 2019
Official Selection – Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards 2019
ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
WINNER Stirling Resident Award – Blink Photography Awards 2018
Koas – No Expectations LP (UK) 2018 – cover & sleeve photographer
The Inimitable Beauty (international project) 2015-2018 – photographer / writer / producer
Yes! Equality Campaign for Civil Marriage Equality (Ireland) 2015 – official photographer, Sligo chapter
2015 Musicians of Sligo Calendar (Ireland) – photographer / producer
19th Sligo Festival of Baroque Music (Ireland) 2014 – event photographer
Seamie O’Dowd – Wood & Iron LP (Ireland) 2014 – cover & sleeve photographer
Kieran Quinn – Note Just Black & White LP (Ireland) 2013 – sleeve photographer
Sligo International Jazz Festival (Ireland) 2013 – event photographer
Mairtin O’Connor Band – Going Places LP (Ireland) 2012 – sleeve photographer
