Tshay Williams

Tshay creates intimate portraits of her loved ones to insist on the humanity of Black people. Through film and photography she creates openings for the full range of our humanity to be expressed: grief, fear, delight, and sensuality exist in delicate harmony. Her work calls upon a rigorous practice of writing, sketching, playing and conversing to ignite her capacity to regard life for what it is: a strange and stunning miracle.

Tshay is the co-director of GALES., an episodic short which premiered at the 2021 BlackStar Film Festival. Her films have screened at the American Black Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, and a number of universities and organizations worldwide. She is the recipient of awards from Art Works, Sachs Arts, and Independence Public Media Foundation. Tshay has worked with a number of community-oriented media organizations in Philly including BlackStar Projects, Scribe Video Center, and Media In Neighborhood Groups (MING). She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from University College London, and a sizable amount of knowledge from paying attention to the world around her. Born and bred in Amityville, NY, Tshay likes belly laughs, R&B, and over-easy eggs. She is in development on her debut narrative feature WITH MY OWN HANDS.