Ngozi Paul
Paul at the 7th Annual Canadian Filmmakers' Party in September 2012
Born
Alma materNational Screen Institute
Stratford Birmingham Conservatory
Canadian Film Centre Film Lab
Occupation(s)Actress, Writer, Director, Producer
RelativesAnnamie Paul (sister)
Websitewww.ngozipaul.com

Ngozi Paul is a Canadian stage and screen actress, writer, director and producer. She is best known as the creator, executive producer, and actress of Global TV's comedic drama Da Kink in My Hair.

Early life

Paul was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, to a father from Dominica and a mother from St. Kitts and Nevis. She is the younger sister of former Green Party of Canada leader, Annamie Paul. With academic roots in Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre,[1] Ngozi began her acting career on stage at the Stratford Festival of Canada.

Career

In 2003, Paul was listed as one of Toronto's top ten actors by Now Magazine.[2] She is the recipient of the Tyrone Guthrie Award for her work with the Stratford Festival, and was Best Actress nominee at the International Black Film Festival for her performance in the film Banyan. She played a leading role in Charles Officer's Genie-nominated film Short Hymn, Silent War, featured at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. More recently, Paul played a young Nelson Mandela in the Toronto production of the screenplay In the Freedom of Dreams: The Story of Nelson Mandela.

Paul's production credits include founding Ngozika Productions, which showcases film and TV projects from an Afro-Canadian perspective. In addition to being co-producer of the Tonya Williams Gospel Jubilee, Paul served as the creative director, associate producer, story editor and as a writer on the Gemini-nominated series Lord Have Mercy! (2003). Paul was a participant of Talent Lab, a four-day program for emerging filmmakers interested in mobile movie filmmaking.

Following a run of the theatre production Da Kink in My Hair, Ngozi co-created, executive produced, and starred in the television series of the same name (2007-2009).

In 2015, Paul's The Emancipation of Ms. Lovely—which she penned and in which she starred—was nominated for six Dora awards and won Outstanding New Play. This tale weaves Paul's personal stories with the story of Sarah Baartman (aka The Venus Hottentot) in a transcontinental allegory on the black woman's multitudinous identity. Lovely prompted Toronto's Now Magazine to write, “The magnetic Paul holds every moment onstage in a fierce, funny and moving performance.” She currently has a docu-series on-air entitled Care for Color and is in development of The 1st Time Project, a multi-platform documentary exploring female sexuality from inter-generational and inter-cultural perspectives.

Paul raises awareness for social issues such as domestic violence and homophobia within the West Indian community. In 2005, she was a celebrity cast member for the Toronto performance of The Vagina Monologues with proceeds helping local organizations that assist women in abusive relationships. Paul has been a global ambassador for Because I'm A Girl and the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Works

Stage

Year Title Role Produced By
2010 Fernando Krapp Wrote Me This Letter Performer – Julia Canadian Stage
2015 The Watershed Performer Crow's Theatre and Porte Parole
2015 The Emancipation of Ms. Lovely Performer, Playwright Ngozika Productions and Pandemic Theatre
2016 The Watershed Performer Crow's Theatre and Porte Parole
2017 The Emancipation of Ms. Lovely Performer, Playwright Crow's Theatre and Emancipation Arts
2017 A&R Angels Performer Crow's Theatre
2018 Love and Information Performer Canadian Stage

Television

Year Title Writer Producer Performer Role Notes
2001 Leap Year Yes Female Assistant Episode 1.20
2004 Lord Have Mercy! Yes
2007-2009 Da Kink in My Hair Yes Yes Yes Starr 4 episodes: "The Flesh is Weak" "Tangled Web" "Deranged Marriage" and "Backsliding"
2008 Embracing Da Kink Yes Herself TV documentary
2011 The Hour Yes Herself Episode 8.31
2013 Katie Chats Yes Herself
2015 Care for Color Yes Yes Herself
2020 FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special Yes Yes Yes Host

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Performer Role Notes
2002 Short Hymn, Silent War Yes Ruth
2004 Da Kink in My Hair Yes Starr TV movie
2007 Talk To Me Yes Susan
2011 The First Time Yes Yes
2012 Night Light Yes Yes Friend
2018 The Mission Yes Justice

References

  1. "Ngozi Paul | Tarragon Theatre". Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ZMWA29m265AJ:www.anitafrika.com/docs/storyteller.2008.08.pdf+ngozi+paul&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=52&gl=ca
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