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 combined her passions for music and photography to produce the Sligo Musicians Calendar, and employed her passion for justice as 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, with her debut project winning Best Video at Revelation: Perth International Film Festival and her second earning her a director’s award at the Independent Music Awards in New York. Her music video productions have premiered in New York, Nashville and Melbourne and already demonstrate Aminah’s diverse approach to storytelling. With a feature screenplay in development, she is now directing her first short drama.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN FILMMAKING
Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020 – Official Selection, “Tell Me It’s Over” music video – as writer/director/producer
Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020 – Official Selection, “I Need to Learn” music video – as writer/director/producer
Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival 2020 – Official Selection, “Blue Wooden Boat” music video – as writer/producer
Independent Music Awards (New York) 2020 – WINNER, Vox Pop Award for Best Director, Short Form Music Video, “I Need to Learn”
American Songwriter Magazine (Nashville) 2020 – Exclusive Premiere, “Tell Me It’s Over” music video – as writer/director/producer
WAMFest Mini Music Video Festival 2019 – Official Selection, “I Need to Learn” music video – as writer/director/producer
Musical Notes Global (New York) 2019 – Exclusive Premiere, “I Need to Learn” music video – as writer/director/producer
Revelation: Perth International Film Festival 2019 – WINNER, Best Video, “Naf Naf” music video – as writer/director/producer
Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2019 – Official Selection, “I Need to Learn” music video – as writer/director/producer
WA Unlocked Film Festival 2019 – Official Selection, “Blue Wooden Boat” music video – as writer/producer
International Songwriting Competition (Nashville) 2018 – Semi-finalist, Best Music Video, “Blue Wooden Boat”– as writer/producer
Scenestr (Melbourne) 2018 – Exclusive Premiere, “Blue Wooden Boat” music video – as writer/producer
ACHIEVEMENTS IN SCREENWRITING
ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest (LA) 2020 – Semi-Finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Yard”
Filmmatic Short Screenplay Awards (LA) 2020 – Semi-Finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Yard”
California Women’s Film Festival 2020 – Finalist, Best Short Script “The Yard”
Cinequest Screenwriting Competition 2020 – Semi-finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Austin Film Festival 2019 Short Screenplay Competition – Semi-finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Hollywood Screenplay Contest 2019 – Finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Katra Film Series (New York) 2019 – Finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Florence Film Awards 2019 – Official Selection, Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards 2019 – Official Selection, Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Filmmatic Short Screenplay Awards (LA) 2019 – WINNER, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards 2019 – Finalist, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest (LA) 2018 – WINNER, Best Short Screenplay “The Rubicon”
ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Blink Photography Awards 2018 – WINNER, Stirling Resident Award
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
